The municipal council of Assen wants to oblige buyers of homes with a WOZ value of up to 2.5 tons from 1 May to live in the house themselves. With this, the Municipal Executive wants to prevent the houses from being bought up and rented out by investors, for example.
The supply of affordable owner-occupied homes in Assen has been declining for years, according to the municipality, while demand is actually rising. The municipality says that 770 owner-occupied homes have been converted into rental homes in the past five years.
The scheme will not only apply to people who buy a new or existing home. Owners of homes who are going to move and keep their current home are also not allowed to rent them out to someone else if it is up to the municipal council. Such a scheme already applies in other cities, such as Groningen.
There will be an exception to the new regulation for, for example, houses that are rented to family members or that have been purchased by housing corporations. In such a case, homeowners must apply for a permit.
Last year, Assen already introduced a self-occupancy obligation for new homes and in the long term also for existing homes. Buyers in the municipality must first live in a house for five years before they are allowed to rent it out. For homes up to 2.5 tonnes, this temporary self-occupancy period may therefore change into permanent residence.
According to the municipality, this purchase protection is mainly intended to give starters on the housing market a greater chance of buying a house. “It is mainly for the group that is now tied to an expensive rental home that can no longer save money to buy a home,” says a municipal spokesman.
The municipal council is not afraid that this purchase protection will lead to a shortage of rental properties. According to a spokesman, the demand for owner-occupied homes for starters in the provincial capital is greater than the demand for rental homes in approximately the same price range.
In addition to the purchase protection, the municipality has also made new agreements about building affordable rental and owner-occupied homes. It stipulates, among other things, that at least thirty percent of the houses in new-build plans must be made available for social rental.
A final decision has not yet been taken. On April 20, the city council of Assen will vote on the proposal of the city council.