Starting a bed and breakfast in Utrecht

Nice that you have plans to start a Bed and Breakfast! Receiving and accommodating guests from all over the world is a very nice and rewarding activity. Guests stay in (part of) your home so they have a nice place from which to explore Utrecht. With a Bed and Breakfast in Utrecht your guests have a warm place with a feeling of home instead of a chilly hotel room or a hostel they have to share with strangers. Starting a bed and breakfast in Utrecht is relatively easy, although there are Bed and Breakfast regulations from the municipality of Utrecht. The municipality of Amsterdam has created a web page for this: Click here. Betterstays describes the ins and outs below.

Starting a Bed and Breakfast: Regulations in Utrecht
(source www.utrecht.nl November 2023)

The resident

You live in the house or houseboat. You have your main residence there. That means you have resided at your B&B address for at least 6 months in the past 12 months.
You are registered with the municipality of Utrecht at the address of the B&B.

Conditions bed and breakfast in Utrecht

You may only rent out if you are the owner or main tenant of the property and you live at this address. As the main tenant, you must have permission from the owner.
You rent out part of the property. There is no maximum number of nights attached to this.
You are usually allowed to rent out up to 50% of your property to tourists. The exact percentage is included in the zoning plan.
You are present in the living space yourself. This means that you are present at least in the evening hours and at night during the rental period.
From July 1, 2021, a registration number will be required. You can request this number from the municipality, via the website www.toeristischeverhuur.nl. You mention the registration number with every (digital) rental advertisement of the living space.

Please note, in the application form there is a question whether you request the number for bed & breakfast. You check this only if you are going to rent out the property as a bed & breakfast. You do not check this if you are also using the property for private vacation rentals.

Rules for renting to tourists in Utrecht

You pay tourist tax. This is 6% of the amount for an overnight stay, excluding VAT and breakfast. Sign up for tourist tax at BghU.
Fire safety: your home must meet the requirements of the Building Code. Smoke detectors are mandatory on every floor of the home starting July 1, 2022. Check how many smoke detectors you need at rookmelders.nl. We advise landlords to also install carbon monoxide detectors. And establish escape routes and an escape plan. Go over these with guests as well.
There must be no nuisance, such as noise, trash and anti-social behavior. In case of serious or persistent nuisance, you as the owner or landlord may be fined.

Starting Bed and Breakfast: Tourist Tax

Income from your Bed and Breakfast is subject to tourist tax at the rate of 6% of the rental income To report and pay the tourist tax, you can download a form from the website of the Municipality of Utrecht

Starting Bed and Breakfast: Conclusion

Starting a Bed and Breakfast in Utrecht can be financially attractive if you have enough space left over in your home. Betterstays has experience in the optimal operation of bed and breakfasts. Contact us to discuss the possibilities.