Airbnb is to help Amsterdam council crack down on dodgy dwellings [February 18, 2013]

Last Friday, the American holiday rental website Airbnb sent a heavyweight delegation to meet Amsterdam city officials about their crackdown on illegal bed&breakfasts, according to the Parool newspaper.

Amsterdam is Airbnb's sixth most popular location, with 117,000 bookings a year. But the city council is getting fed up with all those folk who rent out their homes to tourists, or even turn them into illegal hotels, stuffed with bunkbeds.

So what has been agreed? Council official Freek Ossel says Airbnb is not going to play police officer but will agree to take action if the council noted dodgy goings on.

The company has also agreed to 'better inform' its landlords when they register property.

Ossel goes on to say he'd like to see pop-up screens asking landlords if, for example, if it their house or a rent controlled property. And if it is, then another screen will pop up and tell them they can't rent the flat out anyway.

Not that the paper says Airbnb has actually agreed to go warning pop-up crazy. In fact, Airbnb arn't quoted in the article at all.