Tips when looking for housing in Amsterdam
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Before a house hunt, explore Amsterdam yourself
Go take a look around in Amsterdam before starting a house hunt, take a look at all the districts and find out where you could see yourself living in Amsterdam.
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Know what your budget is and what your company is going to pay
When renting a house you have to cough up a big amount of money, most of the times you have to pay the deposit, the first months’ rent and the commission of the housing agent at once. Inform at your HR-division if they are willing to pay the deposit and/or the commission of the housing agent. This could save you a lot of trouble.
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Get a good housing agent who understands your needs
A good housing agent can save you lots of trouble and can find you your ideal place to stay in a short amount of time. Trust me, a good housing agent in Amsterdam is really worth the money. A good housing agent should understand what you want to rent and think along with you. He/she should be able to find the best apartments which suit your needs. If you don't know where to start looking, let us know, we help finding you the best housing agent for your situation... for free!
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Be honest in what you like and don’t like
During and before the house hunt, talk to your housing agent about what you like and don’t like about the apartments you’ve seen, so the housing agent can get a better view on your preferences and adjust his housing search on that.
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Use only one housing agent at the time
When you’re shopping at more housing agents at the same time, you can get yourself in trouble. As the Amsterdam expat rental market is very small and all housing agencies know each other, the housing agent will soon lose interest in you, because he knows he’s doing double work.
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Be realistic, trust your housing agent
You can’t always get what you want, and in Amsterdam, well you have to compromise. Some apartments / houses just do not exist in Amsterdam. Trust your housing agent when it comes down to those things, he knows what’s possible and what’s not in Amsterdam.
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Act fast when you know you want to rent the place
Be ready to act fast when you want to rent the place. You have to move quick when you want to rent an apartment, the expat rental housing market in Amsterdam is moving very fast, apartments can be rented out in no time.
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Do not compare Amsterdam with other cities
Amsterdam is a crazy city, and the rental housing market is crazy as well. The rental prices differ with the rental prices of the inhabitants of Amsterdam who rent via the city council. Amsterdam has lots of rules when it comes down to housing. So the lesson of today: do not compare Amsterdam with any other city you’ve ever been to.
