Airbnb and Short-Lets

Rented holiday flats make up a large share of outcall addresses in this city. They are also where arrival most often stalls on the doorstep. A hotel has a front desk. A short-let has a key box, a shared stairwell and a bell carrying somebody else's surname.

What to put in the message

• Street and house number, with every suffix. Amsterdam addresses such as 112-III or 45-H point to a floor or a separate ground-level door, and dropping the suffix leads her to the wrong bell.
• The floor, counted the Dutch way. Ground level is zero; the first floor is one flight up.
• The name on the bell, which is usually the host's rather than yours.
• Anything unusual about getting in. A separate door for the upper flats. A keypad. A gate into an inner courtyard.

Hosts and neighbours

The booking stays between you and the house, which never contacts a host. Neighbours in these buildings are often permanent residents, so keep the stairwell quiet after dark and open the door promptly, so that nobody waits on the step for long.

Small flats work well. A studio with a sofa bed is enough. Clear a wide surface, turn the heating up before she arrives, and lay out two large towels.

Money in a rented flat

The type of address changes nothing about payment. A first booking carries half the fee in advance. The rest is paid at the door, in euro notes, by card or through crypto. A delayed check-in, or a host who shifts your dates, is a change on your side: it becomes a move or a cancellation, and the notice scale decides what, if anything, is kept.

The Airbnb guide goes further into rental details. Whether to send a map pin or type the address is covered in pin or typed address, and moorings have their own houseboat page.