After a fire in a house above a restaurant in Schijndel, the municipality of Meierijstad discovered that eight labor migrants lived illegally. The municipality reports this after questions from Omroep Brabant. “There were zero people registered at the address and there was no permit for the housing of labor migrants.”
A short but large house fire ensured that eight labor migrants were placed on the street on Sunday morning 11 May. The fire raged in a wooden extension on the first floor, possibly created by a barbecue.
“I was sleeping,” said a resident who stood on the street with his slippers. “Suddenly there was fire. It was very scary.” The workers from Eastern Europe had no idea where to go and spent hours on the street before someone came to pick them up. Now it appears that the residents stayed illegally above the restaurant on Hoofdstraat in Schijndel.
The municipality had not previously checked the illegal occupation. “No one was registered at this address at all. And no permit had been requested or granted for the housing of labor migrants, only a household was allowed to live there. This address was therefore not checked by the municipality because we were not aware of the housing.”
A spokesperson for the municipality says that she needs the help of residents to detect illegal habitation. “Then we can check and maintain. But the municipality has not received any complaints or reports from this address.”
According to the municipality of Meierijstad, the illegal housing of labor migrants is dangerous. “For example, think of exploiting people and not meeting structural regulations and fire safety. And in the event of an emergency, the emergency services do not know who or what they should find.”
At addresses where a permit has been granted for the housing of labor migrants, the municipality of ‘occasional’ is checking. “For example, fire safety and other legislation are checked.”
The municipality does not respond to questions about what the consequences are for the owner of the burned -out upstairs apartment. “At this address there is currently no conflict,” is the only reaction from the municipality of Meierijstad.
