News item | 26-06-2025 | 8:45 AM
Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning Mona Keijzer wants to give municipalities the first right to purchase real estate in designated neighborhoods with serious liveability problems. With this new preferred right, municipalities can intervene before buildings fall into the hands of rogue landlords or investors. This must prevent criminal practices and further slipping of vulnerable neighborhoods. This proposal is part of the revision of the Special Measures for the metropolitan problems Act (WBMGP).
Minister Keijzer: “In some municipalities, the quality of life and safety are under pressure, such as in the areas of the National Program for Liveability and Safety. Many of those municipalities want more control over real estate transactions in vulnerable neighborhoods. By giving them the first right to purchase real estate, municipalities get more grip on the future use of those buildings to improve the liveliency and safety in the desire.”
Wrap rogue practices
The pre -emptive right can be used for (voluntary) sale of real estate in specifically designated residential complexes, streets or areas with serious liveability problems. With the help of this pre -emptive right, the function of the building can be preserved. The municipality is not obliged to purchase the building, but is given the opportunity to keep rogue activities. This concerns, for example, drug buildings, buildings used for money laundering practices or illegal housing of labor migrants.
The municipality of Eindhoven is one of the municipalities that has argued for this pre -emptive right. Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem: “We are pleased with the proposed change of the WBMGP, especially with the addition of the pre -emptive right. We were able to use this instrument in planning developments, but not yet in places where safety or quality of life is at stake. The proposed expansion can take more control of developments in the neighborhood and effective issues.” ”
Selective housing allocation: easier and more effective
The rules for selective housing allocation in neighborhoods where the quality of life and safety are under pressure are also being adjusted to strengthen and protect communities:
- No more moving for people in social assistance
Residents with social assistance benefits who want to live in a designated neighborhood and want to move within the same neighborhood are no longer limited. This way the bond with the neighborhood can be preserved.
- Equal access for newcomers and home seekers from the region
In this way, municipalities get more opportunities to steer on mixed neighborhoods. Now they cannot refuse home seekers without work from income who do not refuse a housing permit for six years or more in the region. That is possible after the revision. Exceptions for groups such as pensioners and students continue to exist.
- Stricter screening for nuisance and crime
The screening of future tenants to get a housing permit is, in addition to police data, expanded with other sources. For example, sanctions from municipalities in the event of housing nuisance, illegal rental, prostitution and hemp cultivation can be looked at. Or to a lease terminated by the court due to nuisance and criminal behavior.
- Protection of care providers
Municipalities may keep home seekers who have previously threatened or intimidated care providers or other professionals from a designated neighborhood.
Strengthening liveability and safety Act
In addition to large cities, other municipalities and regions that suffer from an accumulation of liveability problems can also apply the law, such as the regions on the edges of the country of the Vital Regions National Program.
There are also serious liveability problems in the region and the edges of the country. That is why the minister wants to give the law a new name: the strengthening of the liveability and safety Act. The starting point remains that municipalities only use the law if other measures are not sufficient. The government will actively stimulate that existing instruments – such as the Housing Act, the Act Landlordschap and the Leegstandwet – are better used.