Vacant property is a very topical subject in the Netherlands.
Millions of square meters of business premises and office premises are empty. Squatters are lying in wait.
The managers of vacant property have plenty of work. They arrange loan agreements or lease premises temporarily on the basis of the Squatting and Vacancy Act. GMW lawyers can assist the managers of vacant property, both with legal advice about the correct contractual forms and with proceedings for removing tenants who are in breach of contract.
When premises remain empty for a long time this encourages squatting. Squatting is by no means a thing of the past. The changes in the Squatting and Vacancy Act and the Criminal and Procedural Codes have not changed this. When real estate has been occupied, the owner can make a complaint to the police, after which the police and the public prosecutor decide whether and when the premises will be cleared. However, clients may have legitimate grounds (urgent needs or to limit damages) not to wait for enforcement by the police or the courts, if these will act at all. GMW lawyers frequently institutes proceedings successfully against squatters.
Good, prompt advice about the legal difficulties in a case of vacant property is important. What should be included in the agreement on the use, what are the possibilities in the Squatting and Vacancy Act and what type of agreement suits your situation best? It’s also important to know the steps you can take if your property has been occupied. GMW lawyers can provide you with sound legal advice at every stage and institute proceedings on your behalf should this be necessary.
GMW lawyers will be happy to help you with all your real estate issues. If you have any questions, please contact us directly using the enquiry form below or +31 (0)70 3615048. Our real estate law lawyers will be glad to support and advise you.
GMW advocaten will be happy to help you. Do you have a question or want legal advice? Feel free to contact us.
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23 April 2025
Neighbour, what are you doing?
A property owner or occupier may, in certain circumstances, be required to temporarily allow another person to use their home or land if this is necessary for work to be carried out on the other party’s property.
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16 April 2025
Termination of Tenancy Agreements
The termination of a contract is an important legal tool for ending an agreement. In this article, we take a closer look at the termination of tenancy agreements, as special statutory rules apply to rental contracts.
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10 February 2025
The role of housing associations in expanding the mid-market rental segment
Addressing the housing shortage in the Netherlands is a priority. To this end, the National Performance Agreements stipulate that housing associations must construct 50,000 mid-market rental homes by 2030.
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20 November 2024
Acquisitive Prescription and Property Boundaries
We regularly handle disputes concerning the acquisition of land through prescription.
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28 October 2024
The written requirement when buying a property
When a residential property is sold, this can be done verbally or in writing. If the parties agree on the so-called 'essentials' of the purchase, such as the price and the object, then they are in principle bound to the purchase. However, for a private buyer, there is a written requirement that stipulates that the buyer is only bound to the purchase when it is documented in writing.
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4 September 2024
What is the value of common property in a Homeowners Association?
It's not an uncommon situation: a member of the Homeowners Association (HOA) expands their garden or rooftop terrace beyond the boundaries of their private section and later asks the HOA to legalize this change.
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12 August 2024
Commonality of a shared wall
Commonality is often a point of discussion between neighbors: is the fence between two gardens common property? If so, can one neighbor then carry out maintenance or even completely replace the fence (partly) at the expense of the other neighbor?
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29 July 2024
The obligation to complain
It often occurs that an object does not correspond to what has been agreed. After the delivery of a property, for example, hidden defects may arise.
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31 January 2024
Robot lawyer
A ‘robot lawyer’ has been made available on the market in America. This is an app with legal information that would make using a lawyer unnecessary. ‘Fight corporations’, ‘find hidden money’, ‘beat bureaucracy’. This is what the robot can and will do. ‘Sue everybody,’ is the urgent advice.
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