Amsterdam houseboat rentals, the Amsterdam apartment alternative

Fully furnished residential houseboats for long term lease in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Frequently Asked Questions

About renting houseboats in Amsterdam;

Q; How can I make sure I'm not getting scammed?

 I don't publish my name on this site, but I don't make a secret of it either. Just google [website name] + whois. You will find my name, address, and how long I've owned this site.

Now call waternet Amsterdam, and ask for woonschip divisie [houseboat division] Ask them to confirm that I am the owner of the vessel at the address. Walk on by the address and have a look, see that the boat in the pictures is the one at the address. If that's not enough, ask the neighbors there. They know me.

Q; Do you rent by the day or week?

A; No.

Our minimal rental period is generally 6 months.

Q; what are the additional costs and taxes when renting from you?

A; see Terms

Q What about Parking?

A; parking is restricted in ALL of central Amsterdam, and most of the surrounding areas. For the centrum, there is a long waiting list [years] for a parking permit. You can buy street parking from the meters or from stadstoezicht. It's VERY expensive.  If you have to have a car, you'll need to rent a parking space for it, which will run up to 500 per month! Motorcycles still park free, or you can go Dutch and use a bicycle.

A registered resident of my ship Vrije Muselaer  can get a parking permit without any waiting time. Please check with the city to be sure, and ask the cost. Last I knew it was a few hundred per year.

 Q; when will you have a boat available?

 A; when one of our tenants moves out. Generally, I get 2 months notice, and post the information on the index page as well as the page for the boat that will become available. If you send me an email enquiry, I'll let you know when there's anything coming up. Sorry, but we only have 3 boats, and average stay is 2 years.

I'm now taking ads for other people's boats, so availability may improve.

Q; will you act as an agent and rent out my boat for me?

A; No. I'm not an agent, but I will put a page for you on my site so you can find your own tenant. Write to me for details.

Q; I'm very tall, what are the ceiling heights?

A; More than 2 meters [6 1/2 feet] for the most part, although lower in the bathrooms and aft bedrooms of Realengracht and the Muselaer.

About living on a boat in Amsterdam;

Q; Is it cold or damp?

A; it's the same as a house; if the insulation, seals, and heating are good, you're as warm as you like. All our boats are tight, well insulated, and centrally heated.

Q; Do they move?

A; our boats will roll a bit in storms or when another vessel passes through the canal at illegal speeds. The Muselaer rolls quite a bit sometimes, but everyone who has lived aboard [so far] has told me it's not bothersome.

Q; Can I get broadband?

A; Amsterdam is a wired city. you can get ASDL from a number of providers if you get a phone line, or broadband through the TV cable network [on all of our boats], or a wireless 3g card that works all over the country.

Q; Where does the sewage go?

A; All of our boats are now connected to the city sewer network, so there are no enviromental worries at all. Unless you throw things into the water of course.