Stairs and Lifts

The last stretch of an outcall journey is often vertical. Older Amsterdam houses are tall and narrow. Their staircases are steep, some close to a ship's ladder, and plenty of buildings of four or five storeys were never fitted with a lift.

Give the floor

Include the floor in your first message. Say whether a lift exists. If the flat sits in the attic or up a second internal stair, mention that as well. She carries everything the technique requires, and knowing about four flights before she sets out prevents surprises.

Climbing adds nothing to the fee. The rates table inside each profile reads the same at ground level and on the fifth floor.

Lifts that need a fob

Newer apartment blocks, and a good number of hotels, run lifts that move only for a key fob or keycard. She cannot summon one herself. Either meet her in the entrance hall, or ask in the thread for a text from her as she nears the building, then go down. Raise it before the booking is confirmed rather than once she is standing downstairs.

Boats and split levels

A houseboat usually means a gangway followed by a short, steep stair below deck. Some canal-house apartments occupy two floors, with the entrance on one and the bedroom on the other. Describe the route in a single line: street door, second floor, then the inner stair.

Effect on timing

The arrival window is measured to your street door. Four flights and a stiff lock add a minute or two after that. Meeting her at the entrance recovers those minutes.

Mobility matters on your side of the door as well. If stairs are difficult for you, the note on limited mobility covers practical arrangements, and stairs, houseboats and no lift treats the subject at greater length.