WILLEMSTAD - A court has issued a ruling in a case involving ten tenants of the housing foundation Fundashon Kas Popular (FKP), who have failed to pay or have paid insufficient rent. The tenants have been ordered to settle their arrears and are at risk of eviction if they continue to miss payments.
According to the court, the tenants must clear their outstanding payments, with the option to spread the payments over time. Should they default again, their rental contracts can be immediately terminated, and eviction proceedings will be initiated with police assistance. Additionally, the tenants are now required to authorize their bank or employer to automatically transfer the rent payments directly to FKP.
Those who comply with their rental payments moving forward will receive a partial forgiveness of their outstanding rent, dating back to January 1, 2018.
FKP emphasized during the proceedings that rent arrears have become a significant issue. Over fifty percent of tenants fail to pay any rent, while more than 8,000 people remain on the waiting list for social housing. FKP argues that the non-payment of rent has become normalized, partly because the organization is often seen as a social institution.
The ruling is viewed by FKP's lawyer, Bertie Braam, as a model for dealing with the 2,500 other tenants who have also fallen behind on their rent payments.