The municipality of Eindhoven intends to hold talks with housing corporations regarding social housing tenants who also own private property. This follows enquiries from the VVD party after reports indicated that approximately 12,000 social tenants in the Netherlands own one or more homes. The local executive confirmed it is aware of these figures and a recent ruling by the Court of Amsterdam. In that specific case, a housing corporation was permitted to terminate a lease because the tenant owned a home and no longer met the criteria for social housing.
Currently, Eindhoven has no specific policy to prevent existing homeowners from living in social rental housing. The executive noted that owning property is not always illegal, citing examples such as divorce or an inheritance (erfenis).
The municipality lacks exact data on how many social tenants in Eindhoven also have a house for sale. Based on national statistics, this could involve around 185 homes in the city, though the exact number remains uncertain. It is also unknown how many tenants own property abroad.
While housing corporations do check for fraud, owning a house for sale is not automatically classified as such. The municipality is now working with these organisations on an agreement to exchange data and prevent abuse. This topic is scheduled for discussion during an upcoming administrative consultation on housing.
The executive stated that the primary responsibility for taking action lies with the housing associations. As demonstrated by the Amsterdam ruling, these organisations can apply to the court to terminate a lease if a tenant has an alternative residence, such as their own home.
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