Apartment Almere Netherlands for rent
Luxurious furnished apartment near Amsterdam - Holland

   website Apartments Almere is moved please > click here <

Frequently asked questions for Almere rental apartment with services on request

What exactly is the apartment furnished with?
The apartment is furnished with arm chair, dining table, two dining chairs, coffee table, lamps, reading lamps, double bed, wardrobe, cub boards, satellite television in bedroom and livingroom, alarmclock radio, home cinema set, dishwasher, refrigerator, ceramic hot plate, microwave, hood, coffeemaker, waterboiler, toaster, vacuum cleaner, iron and iron board, stoffer en blik, kapstok.

How do I make a reservation?
By making a reservation request. Writing names and birthdates of you and your party in an email.

What is your reservation procedure?
The procedure starts with a reservation request. We check the availability of the requested reservation date. We confirm your reservation request; this is the reservation date. A down payment is wanted within 10 days. The reservation is definit when the down payment is done and the reservation form is signed and send back. The final paymetn is wanted 8 weeks before arrival. At arrival a deposit is obligatory. This deposit is transferred back to your account in case the apartment.

How do you determine which reservations you accept?
We accept all reservations which meet our standards described on our website like maximum of two adults, no pets, non smoking, bussiness or leasure.

What is the minimum/maximum stay?
Minimum stay is three days. Maximum stay is three months.

What sort of payments do you accept?
We accept bank to bank national / international money transfer in Euro or Paypal in Euro.

Why do you have a maximum term of 3 months?
The apartment is initial build for personal reasons. In case these personal reasons accur the apartment is needed within a reasonable time.

 Do I have to rent on the basis of a calendar month, or can I rent it per day?
The rental period starts on the day of arrival as aggreed in the reservation contract. So incase the period starts on the 15the, the first month ends on the 15the next month.

What if I start with a stay less than one months, but change my mind and stay longer. Do I still have to pay the higher rent for the first month?
No, the payments will be balanced during the rental period. But previous accepted reservation from other guests prevail.

What does it mean to have a fixed term rental agreement?

What other costs are there besides the rent?
None, accept additional service on request like weekly cleaning, towel and laundry service, dry cleaning, refrigerator stocking, grocery shopping and any other request we are able to fullfil.

How and when do I get my deposit back?

What cleaning services do you offer?

What is the neighbourhood like?

I'm moving to Almere to live for a while, is it okay to move into your apartment?

What exactly is the apartment furnished with?
Together with the rental agreement is an exact list of furnishings, but in summary:
Kitchen - Eating table with 4 chairs, microwave, self cleaning oven, stove top, dishwasher, dishes and silverware for 4 people, pots and pans, cutlery, measuring cups and spoons, and many other things commonly found in a kitchen.

Bedroom - 2-person bed, clothes cabinet, bedding, towels, pictures on wall.

Bathroom - shower, toilet, sink

Living Room - TV, VCR, stereo, 2+3 couch set, buffet, 2 floor lamps, fan, TV furniture with bookshelf, pictures on wall.

Utility Room - washing machine, dryer, cleaning supplies

In addition there is a limited supply of some consumable items like toilet paper, soap, etc.

How do I make a reservation?
First contact us by email or phone to find out if it is available during the time you want it.
If it is available, then to make a reservation you need to sign and return 2 copies of the rental agreement together with a photocopy of your passport, and pay the deposit in advance. When we receive the signed copies of the rental agreement and deposit, we will sign one copy of the rental agreement and return it to you, thus confirming your reservation. The first month's rent will be due on arrival. Please see below on how to pay the deposit.

If you are making a reservation very close to the time of arrival, and there is not time for the paperwork and the payment of the deposit, we will make other arrangements. Please ask.

Normally, from the time you tell us that you intend to make a reservation, we will hold the apartment for 2 weeks to allow you to complete the payment and paperwork. If the reservation is not completed within this time, we may offer the apartment to someone else. In this case we will refund your deposit.

If you cancel your reservation 30 or more days in advance, you are entitled to a 50% refund. If you cancel 60 or more days in advance, you are entitled to a 100% refund.

What is your reservation procedure? How do you determine which reservations you accept?
Most reservations are accepted on a first come, first served basis, but there are a few exceptions.
If you become a long term tenant, on good terms, you will probably be able to stay as long as you want. In this case, we stop accepting reservations from other people, and wait until you decide not to renew your rental agreement. The one exception to this is that any pre-existing reservations will always have to be honoured.

If you want to make a reservation, and there is a long term tenant in the apartment, it may not be clear if your reservation can be accepted. In this case we may ask you to offer your name for a waiting list. If this happens, no deposit is necessary and when your name comes up on the list, you are not obliged to take the apartment if you don't want it. Generally at the time we put you on a waiting list, we explain the situation to you and give you an indication of the likelihood of you being able to make the reservation as requested.

If you are on a waiting list, and your name comes up, you have 14 days to secure your reservation by completing the paperwork and paying the deposit. After 14 days, the apartment may be offered to someone else for that time period. If you pay the deposit after the 14 days, and it is no longer possible to accept your reservation, we will immediately refund the deposit. We don't refund any fees you may have paid to your bank, or any losses due to currency fluctuations.

Sometimes we have several simultaneous inquiries for the same time period. Normally in this case, if you are the first person to tell us you are sure you want the apartment, we will hold it for 14 days to give you a chance to do the paperwork and pay the deposit. If you are interested in the apartment and someone else is in the middle of their 14 day period, we offer you the chance for your name to be put on a mini waiting list with the same conditions as above.

It's also possible the reservation you want to make creates a scheduling conflict or a potential conflict with other people. For example, if you want to take the apartment from 25 June to 3 August. This would be right in the middle of the busy summer season, and since many people rent the apartment on the basis of a calendar month, this may mean we can't rent it to anyone else for the remainder of June or August. In this case, we may ask you to reconsider your dates or pay extra, or we may be unable to accept your reservation.

Once you have completed the paperwork, and paid the deposit, your reservation is confirmed and won't be cancelled by us.

What is the minimum/maximum stay?
The minimum stay is one month.
The maximum initial term is 3 months.

After the initial term there is, in principle, no maximum stay. Normally, a month or two before your current term expires, we would write you a letter inviting you to extend the rental agreement for another term, you would simply sign and return the letter to us if you agree. A term would normally be 3-6 months, but depending on your needs we might agree on another length of time.

What sort of payments do you accept?
Deposits are normally paid by bank transfer to our bank account in the Netherlands. If you live in Holland already, it's also possible to pay in cash. If you live in the US, and have a US checking account, it may also be possible to pay by check, please contact us for more information.
Payment of rent can be cash, bank transfer or for a fee of about 3 euros it's possible to make a payment at any post office.

Why do you have a maximum initial term of 3 months?
Under most circumstances a term is binding on both renter and owner. As a renter many unexpected things can happen, you may not like the apartment or the neighbourhood, or your personal circumstances may otherwise require you to move. Especially if you are making a reservation for our apartment sight unseen, it's probably not a good idea for you to commit to a long term right at the beginning. As a property owner, it's also a chance to get to know you and to see what kind of tenant you are before committing to a long term.
If you have special circumstances, for example you are going to be in Almere for 4 months and want to make a reservation that covers the whole period, let us know. We can be flexible.

Do I have to rent on the basis of a calendar month, or can I rent it per day?
The short answer to this question is it depends.
Normally, if you stay for at least one month, it's possible to move in and out whenever you want, and pay a pro-rated daily rate based on the monthly rate and the number of days you stay.

During busy periods, we may require you to rent it on the basis of a calendar month. If you stay for at least a few months, we may make an exception to this.

What if I start with a stay less than 3 months, but change my mind and stay longer. Do I still have to pay the higher rent for the first 3 months?
No
If you pay the short term rent, and then end up staying longer, you will get a refund or a rent credit for the difference.

What does it mean to have a fixed term rental agreement?
Holland has a very complicated set of rules governing property rental, and I won't try to explain it all here, but in the broadest terms there are principally two kinds of rentals 'normal' and 'fixed term'.
Many normal rentals require a permit from the city, often require proof of income and in many cases there are very long waiting lists for these kinds of apartments, especially the cheaper ones in better neighborhoods.

Fixed term rentals are generally furnished, more expensive, easier to find, and in better neighborhoods. Fixed term rentals are normally for short term use, but some people may live in them for a long time.

This apartment falls under the category of fixed term, and for better or worse, there can be no exceptions to this in the rental agreement. We must choose a fixed start and end date in advance, but extensions are normally not a problem.

What other costs are there besides the rent?
The apartment is provided in a clean and otherwise good state. You need to pay for any damages beyond normal wear and tear. In addition you must either return the apartment clean or pay for the costs to clean it. We suggest you plan on paying for a final, simple, cleaning. This costs 30 euros, and covers everything except for big messes. In this way you have the conveniece of only needing to leave the apartment free of damage and big messes, in order to be entitled to a full refund of your deposit.
You may wish to purchase additional cleaning services at extra cost.

There is a limit on the amount of electricity and gas you can use for free. Beyond 100 euros per month, it is at your own expense. Normal combined usage for the apartment is about 50 euros a month in the summer, and 100 euros in the winter. In addition, the costs are settled on an annual basis, so if you stay for a longer time it's possible to carry the unused portion of your utilities forward to the next month. The intention of this limit is to prevent abuse, and not to generate extra charges for the tenant.

Depending on how you make payments or how you receive a refund of your deposit, your bank may require you to pay a fee.

The city of Almere has a property tax for occupants of property. Depending on how long you stay in the apartment, and if you register your presence with the city, you may have to pay this tax. This is a few hundred euros per year.

How and when do I get my deposit back?
You are obliged to return the apartment clean and free of damages that are beyond normal wear and tear. If this is not the case, then all or some of your deposit may not be returned.

If when you leave the situation is clear, in that you are obviously entitled to your entire deposit back or it is easy to calculate the amount to be withheld, you may be entitled to a cash refund when you vacate the apartment, if you like. Refunds can also be made by bank transfer.

If the situation when you leave is unclear when you vacate the apartment, it may take up to a few months to sort out. In this case a refund will be made by bank transfer at a later date, or by other arrangement.

If, for any reason, a portion of your deposit is not refunded you will receive a clear written explanation of the amount withheld.

In addition, if your deposit is payment for a reservation that is canceled, you may be entitled to a full or partial refund.

What cleaning services do you offer?
If you wish to purchase cleaning services, these cost 30 euros per 3 hour visit. This is only possible if the person who normally does this is available and the costs are subject to change.
What is the neighborhood like?
The Jordaan is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, and one of the most desirable places to live. It is famous for it's old buildings, small and interesting shops, art galleries, canals, alternative culture and it's authentic Dutch lifestyle. The neighborhood is very safe and easily covered by foot or bicycle.
Near the apartment there is an abundance of public transportation, taking you almost anywhere you could want to go. There is also paid parking on the street or in garages nearby.

The city's main square, the Leidseplein, is a 5 minute walk offering some of the city's best restaurants and nightlife.

Two nearby streets, the Rozengracht and the Kinkerstraat, offer many shopping possibilities including several supermarkets and an outdoor food market.

I'm moving to Almere to live for a while, is it okay to move into your apartment?
Of course, you are welcome to stay in the apartment for an extended period. Please read the explanation above about fixed term versus normal rentals, and in particular please understand that there will always be some uncertainty if your rental agreement will be renewed. If you are going to stay for a while it may be cheaper if you find an unfurnished apartment to buy or rent and buy your own furniture.