News item | 05-08-2025 | 15:00
Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning Minister Mona Keijzer started the internet consultation for the Housing Act BES today. This bill must ensure the construction of more affordable social rental homes in the Caribbean Netherlands.
With the bill, housing foundations can make an application to become an authorized institution – an official status. They will then be supervised by the Housing Corporations Authority (AW), which supervises housing associations in the Netherlands. This supervision gives the guarantee that housing foundations are professional and financially healthy organizations. A big problem on the islands is that housing foundations can now often only take out loans with high interest rates and sometimes unfavorable conditions. This makes it difficult to build enough affordable houses.
With a status as an authorized institution, housing foundations can participate in the Social Housing Guarantee Fund (WSW). That fund guarantees the repayment of loans, borrowing the so -called secured. For banks this means that they run less risk. That is why they can give the loan with a lower interest rate and better conditions.
More social rental properties and better quality of life
Thanks to better access to financing, housing foundations can build more social rental homes, improve the maintenance of existing homes and invest in the quality of life of neighborhoods. This is desperately needed, because there is a large shortage of affordable homes on the islands, especially for people with a low or middle income. In this way the bill helps in the fight against poverty.
Customization for the islands
The Housing Act is becoming a separate chapter in the existing Dutch Housing Act, but has been adapted to the situation on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. In this way, the bill fits better with what is needed on the islands.
Respond to the bill
This is possible up to and including 28 September 2025 via the website for Internet consultation.