Amsterdam housing officials have warned a city landlord that he faces a fine of up to €10,000 for discrimination if he continues to refuse to rent to anyone other than “Dutch women with jobs.”

The case was reported to a council hotline after a male prospective tenant was told he could not rent the room because he was a man. Further research showed that the landlord routinely included the “Dutch women with jobs” clause in contracts and online adverts.

The landlord now has two weeks to comply with the council’s order or face a fine.

The council launched a special hotline for tenants to report problems with landlords in January last year.

“It is particularly difficult to take action in cases of discrimination because there is often not enough written or digital evidence,” the council said in a press statement. “In this case there was, and it is the first time the council has been able to act on discrimination in tenant selection.”

Research by Dutch News in 2024 found that discrimination is a problem facing many of the Dutch capital’s international residents

Housing was one area where people faced discrimination, despite the widespread view that “expats” have an advantage when it comes to renting property because they are thought to have more money.

“I was trying to book a view of an apartment and I was told that the apartment was not in the market anymore,” one respondent said. “My then (Dutch) boyfriend called one minute after me and they told him that he could schedule the viewing as the apartment was still available.”