If municipalities build too little for groups that need a house quickly, Minister Hugo de Jonge (Public Housing) wants to be able to intervene. He has brought out new legislation for this. He also wants to prevent lengthy objection procedures.
The new legislation must ensure that more and faster can be built and must improve the distribution across the country. For example, in the larger municipalities there are now relatively many social rental homes and few homes in the middle sector, while elsewhere it is the other way around.
De Jonge hopes that the new legislation can come into effect at the beginning of 2024 or at the beginning of 2025. Otherwise, it will not succeed in achieving its goal of 900,000 homes.
‘The new legislation must ensure that more and faster can be built and must improve the distribution across the country’
Enforce
The most remarkable measure is that the minister will soon be able, if necessary, to force municipalities to supply a certain number of homes. The intention is that municipalities, regions and provinces first try to reach good agreements together.
Few resources
According to the minister, the state currently has too few resources to properly arrange housing. Nothing has been done about public housing policy in the past ten years, De Jonge emphasises. This has led to the current shortage, which he cannot only hope will be resolved by the market or municipalities and provinces. De Jonge therefore says that he does not regard his power to enforce projects as an undermining of local democracy in the municipalities.
The new law applies to social rent, mid-market rent (currently up to an amount of approximately 1100 euros) and affordable owner-occupied homes (up to around 355,000 euros).
