NOS | Bart KamphuisNathaja Kremers with her Joke mother in front of their pre-informal care home
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 07:58
In dozens of municipalities it has become a lot easier in recent years to live in a house or on a plot of land with family members. For example, residents can build so-called ‘pre-informal care homes’, according to a tour by the NOS.
You can currently build an informal care home without a permit, so that a friend or family member can provide intensive care up close. Many municipalities require a medical certificate for this, which proves that informal care is really necessary.
At least 42 municipalities are going a step further by also allowing the construction of pre-informal care homes. These are intended for people who expect to need informal care in the future, for example in ten years.
NOS
A permit is required for the pre-informal care home and no medical certificate is required. Municipalities impose certain requirements for this permit: for example, a person must often have reached state pension age or be able to demonstrate in a conversation with the municipality that informal care will be needed in the long term.
Drop in the bucket
In many municipalities, pre-informal care housing is still in its infancy: few or no permits have been granted so far. It is relatively popular in the municipality of Peel en Maas: thirty permits have now been issued there.
“We are a rural municipality, with large houses and large lots, so that makes this an easy route,” says councilor Rob Wanten. “It is always just a drop in the ocean. But we need all the creativity to do anything at all about that difficult housing market.”
Thanks to this permit from the municipality of Peel en Maas, Joke Kremers now lives in a chalet in her daughter’s garden:
Joke Kremers lives in her daughter’s backyard
Municipalities are not only increasingly allowing permits for pre-informal care homes, house or plot division is also an option in more and more places. Research by Platform 31, an independent knowledge center for urban development, shows that at least thirty municipalities are working to deal with this more flexibly.
For example, the municipality of Leudal does not allow pre-informal care homes, but does allow house and plot division. “If someone wants a separate pre-informal care home, this can also be done by dividing the plot,” says councilor Robert Martens of Leudal, where ten applications for a permit have been received so far.
Exciting step
The relaxations are an exciting step for municipalities, because the zoning plans do not actually allow the construction of a second home in the backyard. Creating an extension to allow someone to live independently is also not allowed in many places.
By deviating slightly from the rules, they kill two birds with one stone: they give the elderly the opportunity to continue living at home for longer, as the Ministry of Health would like to see. In addition, it helps, even if only a little, against the housing shortage.
Prevent speculation
The risk of the relaxation is that homeowners will try to sell their house and land for more money via this route. That is why Peel en Maas, which also allows house and plot division, wants to keep a close eye on who the new residents of the municipality will be.
“When applying, you must make it plausible that you are placing a home on it and who will live in it,” says Wanten. “To avoid speculation.”
“We believe it is important to protect the living environment, i.e. the space and greenery. That also contributes to the charm of our villages,” says Martens of the municipality of Leudal.
Chalet to Spain
This is less of a concern with pre-informal care homes: just like informal care homes, they must be removed again when informal care is no longer provided. The Kremers family already has a plan for that.
“If my mother dies, we want to see if we can move the chalet to Spain to turn it into a holiday home,” Nathalja Kremers reasons out loud.
What kind of permits do you have?
House splitting: this involves renovating a house in such a way that it creates two independent houses, i.e. with two front doors and two house numbers. Many municipalities only allow this for large houses.
Plot division: this involves splitting the land on which the house stands and then turning it into two homes. This is especially easy if there is a large area near a house. This division can only be arranged through a notary.
Premantelzorgwoning: you can apply for a permit to temporarily divide a house or have someone live on your plot. The idea is that this person will eventually take care of you. Municipalities often impose requirements, such as the owner must be a certain age or there must be a family connection. The house must also be demolished again when the informal care ends.
2023-09-30 05:58:23
#Living #daughters #garden #municipalities
