XpatRentals - www.xpatrentals.com

This site is an excellent resource for rentals for expats, it does exactly what it says and lets you see different agencies properties all in one place. I got my place through this site in Amsterdam and I have since used it for a short term rental when I went on business in Berlin. I know some of my colleagues in Germany are now using as their index for properties in Germany is now on the increase. Sure in Amsterdam you pay an agency fee for the property but its the same fee you would pay if you went directly to the agent anyway. I got to know it through their sister site xpatjobs which just about everyone uses here (especially on a Monday when we are all re-thinking our lifes hehe).

They run the business from the UK and have none registered in Netherlands, while they do have physical presence in Amsterdam, to scout for dutch brokers to sell to, and are hiding this from government bodies (business registration bodies, license companies, tax administration offices)

I had a nasty financially costly experience when renting through them, and was explained by my landlord what the background was to my experience.

On the website, it is claimed that tenants link up to property owners. However, for Netherlands, the website made a monopoly deal with Amsterdam brokers. Tenants do not get linked to property owners, but to brokers instead: a broker commission (usually 1500EUR) on TOP OF THE usual monthly rental is therefore due, thanks to introducing you to a 'broker'

It is illegal for a website to differentiate between brokers and owners, and it is illegal for brokers to claim exclusivity over tenants market while property owners OWN their property and have exclusive right to rent it out. In each EU country law, brokers are obligated to trade under a License, however, this is just to protect tenants from brokers taking money without producing the real estate. Owners at the other hand own their real estate, therefore may operate without the need for a license.

No 'service' is delivered by the brokers for the 1500 'commission', unless handing over the contract (signed by owner) and keys would be called a justification, while this is done in front of an owner present.

I recommend to all tenants, to save 1500 euro, and look for places on Wimdu or airbnb websites. These do collect a commission, but it can hardly be called a commission as it is 10Euro average.

These websites additionally provide real service throughout your stay.

I came across this site on internet when looking to relocate to The Netherlands.

In no time I had a few suitable viewings lined up.

New offers every day.

I came over for a few days only for the viewings and one or two agents did not reply to my enquiry through site quickly enough for me, however with their contact details readily available I was able to chase up my enquiries directly to schedule the viewings to my needs.

I would recommend this service to anybody looking for a new suitable place to live.

I found the site easy to use and had most of the properties of the major portals. The reason i would recommend it is that it's aimed at expats. Most of the other sites aren't. When i moved to Holland it was one of those sites that everyone knows and has used, I would use it again to find another flat.

I came to Amsterdam to work and was recommended this site by my employers, its the site most expats use and I can see why. Its a must add for your bookmarks if your looking to rent abroad as an expat.

I have used this site a few times now and comparing it to others of a similar type i think it's the best of it's kind.

The main things i like about it are: 1. the fact it's content is aimed at non-native speakers so you can be sure that the agents on there will be easy to deal with as a foreigner (like me); 2. it has very simple search functions, i don't enjoy using sites that ask me for loads of details to do a search and then end up returning very few results, Xpats doesn't do that and it's a good thing! 3. the properties seem good quality, i am sure they appear on other sites but it's nice to have them in one place and clearly categorised.

i would recommend the site to anyone moving to Holland in the near future - veel succes!

We used this site to find an apartment for a weeks rental in Amsterdam. There was a good choice and we got a decent price and it all went smoothly.