An Italian tenant has had their rent slashed from €1,850 to €633.58 a month after Amsterdam’s rent tribunal ruled that the “short stay” contract they had been offered was illegal.

The landlord had rented out the 34-square-metre apartment, which was fully furnished and included a bike and twice-weekly cleaning, on a year-long contract, enabling him to circumvent rent controls, even though temporary contracts became illegal on 1 July last year.

The rent tribunal ruled that the property should fall under the rent control system because it was the tenant’s main residence and had “nothing to do with temporary or tourist accommodation”.

The commission therefore reduced the rent to the maximum allowed under the current points system and ordered the landlord to pay costs as well.

Tenants’ rights group Stichting Woon said the verdict is an important one for tenants and a warning to landlords who try to circumvent rent controls using creative constructions.

Tenants, the agency said, should be aware of their rights, and it will offer legal help to anyone in the same position.

Using “short stay” as an excuse for higher rents and add-on facilities also creates an uncertain situation for tenants, Stichting Woon said.

“Such contracts are meant for exceptional situations such as holiday homes or temporary housing due to maintenance work. The rent tribunal’s ruling confirms that these sorts of contracts must be used in a very limited way,” a spokesman told the Parool.

Amsterdam city council said last month that it is to crack down on landlords who are charging excessive rent while using unlawful temporary rental contracts, following revelations about the practice.

Another trend which has emerged is that of designating apartments to be for “expats only”.