People who rent a home from a housing corporation and live in the earthquake area in Groningen will receive a one-off amount of 750 euros. This was announced today by outgoing Minister Ollongren (D66) of the Interior during her visit to the area.
The amount is a compensation due to all the uncertainty surrounding the reinforcement. Some of the rental properties have not been tackled for years, because housing associations and tenants had to wait for the reinforcement recommendations.
Private home owners are compensated for the fall in value of their home. Ollongren says to RTV North that she missed a tenant compensation scheme. “They have the same problems and nuisance. That is why we also want to compensate tenants. We are allocating 20 million euros for this,” says Ollongren.
Social plan
The compensation is part of a social plan that the corporations made agreements about with the minister last November. Earlier it became clear that tenants who have to move to a change house will receive an extra compensation. There will be an arrangement for tenants who, for example, have to leave a self-built shed in the garden.
Tenants do not have to do anything to be eligible for the 750 euros. They will receive a letter next week and in the course of September the amount will be deposited into their account.
‘Nice extra’
During the visit, Ollongren talked to tenants in Uithuizen today. Hundreds of houses there will be demolished because of the reinforcement, including the house of Miranda Slob. “The 750 euros is a nice extra, people can paint their house with it,” she says. “I see it as emotional compensation, as some have been in the process for eight years.”
She has told Ollongren that many people are still uncertain. “People have to leave their homes, but do not know where they will end up. Some want to move to an apartment or a life-long home, but the demand is greater than the supply. That creates uncertainty.”
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