A relocation agency in Amsterdam finds a rental for you, attends the viewings, submits the offer and checks the contract, so you can rent from abroad with a start date weeks away. Of the 16 companies compared below, 11 publish a price or a fee formula and 5 ask you to call. The home itself costs a median EUR 2,475 a month, measured across 3,128 Amsterdam listings that went live between 29 June and 26 September 2026.

What a relocation agency in Amsterdam does

For a renter, the job is the search: shortlisting homes, going to viewings on your behalf, preparing the application, negotiating the offer, reviewing the contract and handling the check-in. Three kinds of company do some version of this, and only two of them may charge you.

• Full relocation agencies bundle housing with immigration, schools and settling in.
• Housing-only search agents (a huurmakelaar working for the tenant) do the search and nothing else. You pay them.
• A landlord's letting agent markets the home for the owner. They may not charge you for mediation (see the section on rental agencies below).

The table compares companies in the first two groups.

Relocation agencies in Amsterdam compared

VAT is shown only where the company states it.

Five more companies serve Amsterdam renters and publish no price. Your Expat Butler says the fee "depends per search" and discusses it on a free call; its site says it views "in person or by video call if you are still abroad". Reloconsult says it will "attend on your behalf when you are still abroad". Relocation-Amsterdam sends photos and videos before a tour, Koops Expat Services runs a six-step rental service across Amsterdam, Amstelveen, Haarlem, Hoofddorp, Leiden and The Hague, and Expat Help sells housing inside a wider relocation and immigration package. Ask each one for the fee in writing before the search starts.

What relocation services in Amsterdam cost

Relocation services in Amsterdam charge in one of two ways, and among the companies that publish a price the split is roughly half and half. Some charge a fixed fee, the same whatever the home costs. The others charge one month's rent, usually plus 21% VAT, so the fee rises with the home you end up in.

What one month's rent plus VAT comes to:

• at EUR 1,800 rent: EUR 2,178
• at the Amsterdam median of EUR 2,475: EUR 2,994.75
• at EUR 2,800 rent: EUR 3,388

Several rent-linked agencies set a floor as well: TNG Real Estate at EUR 1,800 excluding VAT, Hausing at EUR 2,000 excluding VAT.

A fixed EUR 2,250, the Relocify Plus price, equals one month's rent plus VAT at a rent of EUR 1,859.50. Premium, at EUR 3,085, equals it at EUR 2,549.59. Above those rents the fixed fee costs you less; below them a rent-linked agency does. Premium is also the lowest published price we found for unlimited viewings; Expat Home Finders Premium is EUR 3,499 plus 21% VAT. The split into a down payment and a fee on signing is on the pricing page.

Cheaper fixed fees exist if you can go to the viewings yourself: HomeCrew Smart and Expat Home Finders Unaccompanied at EUR 1,499, Rentbird Plus at EUR 1,794 in total, Talcom at EUR 1,850 with five accompanied viewings. You get a thinner service for the lower price, and you need to be in the country.

Rental agencies in Amsterdam: who may charge you

A letting agent working for the landlord may not charge you mediation costs. Only an agent you hire yourself may. The Dutch government sets out the rule at Rijksoverheid: must I pay mediation costs for a room or rental home?. Since 1 July 2023 you can also report an agent who charges you anyway to the municipality under the Wet goed verhuurderschap.

So when a rental agency in Amsterdam lists a home and then asks you for a fee, ask who they work for. If the landlord hired them, the fee is not yours to pay.

What you will pay in rent in Amsterdam

Room counts are as the listing states them. The median price per square metre is EUR 30.59 (3,125 listings with a floor area). A year earlier the same 90 days gave EUR 2,495 across 2,956 listings, so asking rents are down 0.8% while the number of listings is up. More on the city at Amsterdam rentals, and on the move itself at moving to Amsterdam. Rents for 12 more cities, from the same listings: average rent in the Netherlands.

What EUR 2,000 gets you in Amsterdam right now

The median says EUR 2,475. Relocify's delivery team, in its Q3 2026 market review, put the working floor for Amsterdam at EUR 2,000, and at EUR 2,100 to 2,200 for renters who have not started work or cannot show an employer statement: several letting agents stopped accepting files without one after July. Inside the ring the accepted offer was usually above the asking price; a budget of EUR 2,000 to 2,100 mostly landed outside it. Agencies also increasingly favoured applicants who attended the viewing in person, which is the case for a filmed viewing with a complete file ready before the visit.

Expat relocation in Amsterdam from abroad

Relocify customers rented 101 homes in Amsterdam in 2026, at a median rent of EUR 2,450, close to the market. When you cannot be there, a Relocify presenter attends the viewing and films the home for you.

If your expat relocation to Amsterdam starts from abroad, the search runs like this. You have your documents ready before the first viewing; the list is in rental application documents. The presenter views and films, you watch the video and decide, the offer goes in and the contract is reviewed before you sign, all remotely. A listing that a Relocify customer rented in Amsterdam had been online a median 26 days when it was rented, against 30 days across all cities.

If you want to know whether this fits your budget and start date, book a free consultation with a Relocify agent: 20 to 30 minutes on your budget and area, no obligation. The wider process, income rules and contract law are in renting in the Netherlands as an expat.

When you do not need an agency

If you are already in the Netherlands, can attend viewings yourself and have time to reply to listings, you do not need to pay for a search. Relocify Alerts puts every listing in one feed for EUR 29 a month, and you contact the landlord yourself. What an agency adds is the viewing and the application when you cannot be there.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a relocation agency in Amsterdam cost?

It depends on the model. Rent-linked agencies charge one month's rent, usually plus 21% VAT, which at the Amsterdam median rent comes to EUR 2,994.75. Fixed fees run from EUR 1,499 for a service where you attend the viewings yourself to EUR 3,499 plus VAT for unlimited viewings; Relocify is EUR 2,250 (Plus) or EUR 3,085 (Premium). Five of the 16 companies compared above publish no price at all.

Do I have to pay a rental agency in Amsterdam?

Not if the agency works for the landlord. Dutch law bars a landlord's agent from charging the tenant mediation costs, and since July 2023 you can report one that does to the municipality. You pay only an agent you hired yourself.

Can I rent in Amsterdam before I arrive?

Yes. A Relocify presenter can attend and film the viewing while you are abroad, and the offer and contract review happen remotely. Your Expat Butler and Reloconsult say on their sites that they view for clients who are still abroad, and HomeCrew and Amsterdam Life Homes advertise remote or video viewings.

What is the average rent in Amsterdam?

The median asking rent across Amsterdam listings first seen in the last 90 days was EUR 2,475 a month, or EUR 30.59 per square metre. A two-room flat listed at a median EUR 2,150, three rooms at EUR 2,500 and four or more at EUR 3,000.

Book a free consultation to go through your budget and start date with a Relocify agent.