‘Controversial’ Uber refused office space on ritzy Amsterdam canal; court agrees

No offices for Uber on the ritzy Amsterdam Keizersgracht canal. Uber is looking for office space near the Vijzelgracht where it is located at the moment. The company had found space on one of Amsterdam’s more ritzy locations, the Keizersgracht. But the owner of the property refused Uber as a tenant, because of its ‘controversial reputation.’ The Amsterdam court just confirmed that Uber can legally be refused a tenancy on the Keizersgracht, according to national daily De Telegraaf. Uber had brought proceedings against the office’s owner Bryant Park, which owns many buildings in the capital, including an impressive office complex on the Keizersgracht known as ‘5Keizers’ (Five Emperors). Uber had wanted to rent several floors in this complex, but the Cayman Islands-based landlord was not interested.

In its defence, Bryant Park presented newspaper clippings reporting court officials paying a visit to the Uber offices last year in connection with its illegal UberPOP service which employed unlicensed drivers and vehicles. The court ruled that the landlord was within its rights to refuse the tenancy. “Bryant Park can estimate whether Uber’s reputation matches that of the current tenant Travelbird. Given the media coverage… Bryant Park’s view is not unreasonable.’ This wasn’t the first time Uber’s offices in the Dutch capital were raided. Dutch officials have not just been interested in the Dutch operational part of the company, but particularly in the bookkeeping and tax-activities of Uber BV, the international financial hub of the company.
An Uber spokeswoman told the Telegraaf-newspaper it was looking elsewhere for extra office space, saying the Keizersgracht had been just ‘one of the options’.