WILLEMSTAD – Curaçaoan citizen Edward Joseph has formally submitted a petition to the Parliament and the Council of Ministers of Curaçao, urging the legal recognition and protection of rental income as a form of pension. Joseph argues that renting out self-built homes is often the only realistic way for many locals to generate income after retirement, but that the law currently offers no safeguards for such arrangements.
In his letter, dated June 2, Joseph explains that he, like many others, will not benefit from a conventional employer-based pension. Instead, he invested his savings and labor into constructing three apartments, two of which he plans to rent out as a source of retirement income. He calls on the government to formally recognize and protect this self-financed pension alternative.
Joseph grounds his appeal in several articles of the Constitution of Curaçao and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, citing citizens’ right to an adequate standard of living and to social protection. He emphasizes that the concept of a pension should be interpreted broadly to include any legitimate, sustainable income source for retired persons.
Four Key Measures Proposed
In his petition, Joseph outlines four specific policy requests:
New legislation that formally acknowledges rental income as pension income;
The creation of a guarantee fund for private landlords;
Rent subsidies for tenants of privately owned housing;
A national tenant registry that gives landlords insight into tenant payment behavior.
Joseph notes that a large segment of Curaçao’s workforce, particularly those in the informal economy, lacks access to traditional pension systems. Many therefore turn to real estate investment as a form of financial self-reliance.
“This is part of our culture,” Joseph writes. “But without legal protection, more landlords will pull out of long-term rental markets or shift to short-term platforms like Airbnb—putting additional pressure on the housing market.”
He also draws a parallel to the government's involvement in the ENNIA pension crisis, arguing that the same level of commitment should be shown to citizens who independently invest in their retirement through property.
The petition has been formally addressed to both Parliament and the Council of Ministers, with Joseph requesting a timely response and concrete policy action.
