Forced sale of rental accommodation?

State Secretary Remkes of the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment is dissatisfied with the number of rental houses that have been sold to its tenants by the voluntary housing corporations. He has announced various incentives. If this will not expedite sales, he considers forcing the corporations to do so.

This appears in a letter sent by Remkes to Parliament. He considers the role of the corporations as vital, both in terms of implementation and financing the transformation on the housing market he envisages. The sector is financially sound, he states based on figures provided by Centraal Fonds voor de Volkshuisvesting (CFV).

One of the most striking elements in his incentives is the forced sale of rental accommodation by the corporations. Remkes considers the introduction of the obligation by corporations to offer their stock to tenants, for instance new rental accommodation after ten or fifteen years or even laying down in rental agreements that tenants have the right to buy their accommodation under certain conditions in due course. Presently he is investigating the legal position.

Aedes Chairman Willem van Leeuwen does not believe it will come to that. ?The corporations do want to sell more houses, but can not get rid of their stock as prices are far too high?, he says. ?We are cooperating with the State Secretary.? Corporations will fight possible new regulations in relation to the forced sale of rental accommodation. ?If necessary, all the way to the European Court.?

(source: Aedes)

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