Moving to Amsterdam? Ever thought seriously about it?
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redeyezman
- Posts: 1285
- Joined: Fri 25th Feb 2011 01:59 am
Re: Moving to Amsterdam? Ever thought seriously about it?
Who was it that was moving there for IT Consulting business?
Shells sink. Dreams float.
Re: Moving to Amsterdam? Ever thought seriously about it?
That would be me!redeyezman wrote:Who was it that was moving there for IT Consulting business?
Peace
Are you stoned? Like a gravel road bitch, like a gravel road!
Re: Moving to Amsterdam? Ever thought seriously about it?
I moved to the Netherlands last year to study at a university (easy for me, though, being from another EU Member State - free movement and all that, I'm entitled to just about everything a Dutch citizen is entitled to). I don't live in Amsterdam, but Groningen.
It's been a really nice experience; the people are very open, liberal, and friendly, and will frequently say hello to complete strangers when eyes meet on the street or stop by to chit-chat with people they've just met. There atmosphere is very relaxed, and people seem to be positively intrigued, if at all interested, rather than judgmental of any peculiarities.
The overall price level, in my opinion, is quite low. The Germans I know here consider it expensive, but to me, a 24-crate of 0.3l bottles of beer at 6-10 euros (depending on the quality of the brew and the shop you buy it from) is a hell of a bargain. Food is also a little cheaper than I'm used to. If you live within the limits of a Dutch city, transport costs will be a non-issue as you will be best travelling by bicycle; Dutch cities are compact and designed to accommodate cyclists. A one-off investment on a bike and a sturdy lock, and you should be set.
I'm not sure what the prevailing prices are elsewhere in the world, but compared to my native Finland, Dutch rental housing is a little more expensive than I'm used to (probably more so in Amsterdam). That obviously has something to do with the scarcity of space; the Netherlands has the highest population density in Europe by a country mile. Also expect to get a considerably smaller space than you would in most other countries for your budget. However, there is one important thing you should consider when moving to the Netherlands and renting a house: your landlord (or agency) may be demanding a price which is actually above the legal limit.
We became aware of this when a neighbor told us his apartment, of roughly the same size but on the top floor with a roof terrace, cost him about half the price of ours on the ground floor. In the Netherlands, there is a points system, which determines the reasonable amount of rent for rental apartments (based on a number of criteria, such as area, amenities, the amount of shared space/amenities with neighbors, etc). It is often the case that the price advertised on the internet or communicated by agents is highly excessive. What one must do is rent such a property, and immediately send the rental agreement along with a form for review to De Huurcommissie. It is a quasi-judicial body which deals with rental law, and it has the competence to lower the price set on a rental contract if it is found to be unreasonable. There is also an online calculator (unfortunately in Dutch) to fill in which will give you some idea of the reasonable rent price that would be set by this Rent Commission.
You must apply within 6 months of signing the rental agreement; otherwise, you are considered to be "capable of paying" whatever you pay, and your legal remedy expires. If you do apply, then basically, after a long bureacratic process, if your rent is found to be excessive (which it was for me, in the region of 300€ extra per month), the landlord will be forced to return, retroactively, the amount of rent which was paid in excess of the reasonable price determined by the Rent Commission. So don't be completely put off by the price of accommodation - if you've got the kind of liquidity to deal with paying a little more for about a year, you may get a good portion of it back.
This is a very useful link for anyone considering a move to the Netherlands:
http://www.expatica.com/nl/essentials_moving_to.html
It's been a really nice experience; the people are very open, liberal, and friendly, and will frequently say hello to complete strangers when eyes meet on the street or stop by to chit-chat with people they've just met. There atmosphere is very relaxed, and people seem to be positively intrigued, if at all interested, rather than judgmental of any peculiarities.
The overall price level, in my opinion, is quite low. The Germans I know here consider it expensive, but to me, a 24-crate of 0.3l bottles of beer at 6-10 euros (depending on the quality of the brew and the shop you buy it from) is a hell of a bargain. Food is also a little cheaper than I'm used to. If you live within the limits of a Dutch city, transport costs will be a non-issue as you will be best travelling by bicycle; Dutch cities are compact and designed to accommodate cyclists. A one-off investment on a bike and a sturdy lock, and you should be set.
I'm not sure what the prevailing prices are elsewhere in the world, but compared to my native Finland, Dutch rental housing is a little more expensive than I'm used to (probably more so in Amsterdam). That obviously has something to do with the scarcity of space; the Netherlands has the highest population density in Europe by a country mile. Also expect to get a considerably smaller space than you would in most other countries for your budget. However, there is one important thing you should consider when moving to the Netherlands and renting a house: your landlord (or agency) may be demanding a price which is actually above the legal limit.
We became aware of this when a neighbor told us his apartment, of roughly the same size but on the top floor with a roof terrace, cost him about half the price of ours on the ground floor. In the Netherlands, there is a points system, which determines the reasonable amount of rent for rental apartments (based on a number of criteria, such as area, amenities, the amount of shared space/amenities with neighbors, etc). It is often the case that the price advertised on the internet or communicated by agents is highly excessive. What one must do is rent such a property, and immediately send the rental agreement along with a form for review to De Huurcommissie. It is a quasi-judicial body which deals with rental law, and it has the competence to lower the price set on a rental contract if it is found to be unreasonable. There is also an online calculator (unfortunately in Dutch) to fill in which will give you some idea of the reasonable rent price that would be set by this Rent Commission.
You must apply within 6 months of signing the rental agreement; otherwise, you are considered to be "capable of paying" whatever you pay, and your legal remedy expires. If you do apply, then basically, after a long bureacratic process, if your rent is found to be excessive (which it was for me, in the region of 300€ extra per month), the landlord will be forced to return, retroactively, the amount of rent which was paid in excess of the reasonable price determined by the Rent Commission. So don't be completely put off by the price of accommodation - if you've got the kind of liquidity to deal with paying a little more for about a year, you may get a good portion of it back.
This is a very useful link for anyone considering a move to the Netherlands:
http://www.expatica.com/nl/essentials_moving_to.html