WILLEMSTAD - The Rental Committee of Curaçao has not been functioning for over a year, causing great frustration among tenants and landlords. This is revealed in a letter from the Consumer Interests Foundation to the Ombudsman of Curaçao, complaining about the government's inaction and the failure to appoint a new member after one of the committee members fell ill.
The Rental Committee is a government organization that acts as a mediator between tenants and landlords in conflicts over issues such as rent, home maintenance, service charges, or other rental matters. The Rental Committee can be called upon by both tenants and landlords when they cannot resolve issues amicably.
However, the letter states that multiple emails have been sent to the Rental Committee in the past without any response, except for ten automatic replies received recently. This situation has led clients of the foundation to wait for over a year for a hearing date for their cases with the Rental Committee. One of the emails concerned a request to terminate a lease agreement submitted nineteen months ago.
The Consumer Interests Foundation of Curaçao expresses concern about the lack of functionality of the Rental Committee and the government's unwillingness to provide any explanation or solution. The letter emphasizes the seriousness of the situation and calls on the Ombudsman to consider this issue as a serious complaint and take action.
Last week, the government announced that the Rental Committee will move to the permit counter in Saliña starting Tuesday, February 13. Previously, it was located in Fort Amsterdam and open only from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM in the afternoon.