The American venture capitalists of Blackstone, after one of their properties was squatted in June, had a so-called vacancy notification for 328 addresses. Earlier, six other empty homes were already registered. All those houses were in their possession at that time, but were empty.
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Alderman Rutger Groot Wassink, who is temporarily Alderman for Housing, reports this in response to questions from the SP. The party asked for clarification after their premises in the Sint Willibrordusstraat in De Pijp was evicted by the police. According to the squatters it had “rotted away empty for years”.
“Given the great housing shortage in Amsterdam, the council finds it socially unacceptable to leave houses vacant for a long time,” writes Groot Wassink. He says the city government is fighting “with all possible means” long-term vacant homes. “It is a duty to use houses for what they are intended, namely habitation.”
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“It is a very time-consuming job to map which homes are housed in which Dutch branch of Blackstone”
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It is not clear to him whether the reported 334 homes are still empty or whether they are no longer there. According to Groot Wassink, Blackstone’s total home ownership is difficult to trace, because the property portfolio is placed with various subsidiaries. “That’s why It is a very time-consuming job to map which homes belong to which Dutch branch of Blackstone are accommodated.”
Conversation
Homeowners must notify the municipality after six months of vacancy, after which can follow a conversation. The previous owner did this for this property in January 2020. ‘Rembrandt Propco’, the The Dutch subsidiary of Blackstone, which bought the property in July 2020, also made such a report in mid-June 2021. Supervisors were therefore supposed to come by, but that did not happen. “Due to corona and the lockdown, this appointment has not taken place,” writes Groot Wassink.
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“Agreements are being made with this owner about making it habitable as soon as possible”
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According to Rembrandt Propco, renovation of the building will start soon. That would take nine or ten months. The municipality still wants to conduct a vacancy interview and an on-site investigation for the property. Groot Wassink: “Agreements are being made with this owner about making the property habitable and getting it habitable as soon as possible.”
Many cases
Groot Wassink also indicates that “in the very short term” the municipality will also talk to Rembrandt Propco about reporting vacancy at 328 addresses in one go. After this meeting, he wants to let the municipal councilors know about the results and the agreements made.
The alderman believes that the current Vacancy Act provides insufficient opportunities to tackle long-term vacancy. Currently, the municipality can only issue fines if vacancy is not reported, but the city council also wants to be able to issue fines for vacancy itself. However, after the report and the conversation with the municipality, the vacancy would “in many cases” be resolved by the owners.
Surprising
SP party chairman Erik Flentge, who asked the questions, calls Groot Wassink’s answers surprising. “328 vacant properties reported in one go. How does it exist? Why so many, are they all being refurbished? And it is still unclear how many more properties are empty. Mind you, thousands of people are looking for a home.”
Flentge says he wants to do further research into Blackstone. He will also pose new questions to the city council on Monday. He asks, among other things, how many homes have been vacant for more than a year.
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Blackstone would transfer apartments from social housing to the free sector as soon as possible, said Stichting Woon! earlier this summer:
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