WILLEMSTAD - The eviction of the student house on Telamonstraat, which took place twice in February 2020, was unlawful. The government must pay compensation of more than 21,000 guilders to VBC, the operator of the student house, for this.
In the years leading up to the eviction, the government and the multidisciplinary team (MTD), which includes the Ministry of Economic Development, received several complaints about the student house. For example, local residents often experienced nuisance, permits were missing, and the building allegedly did not meet the requirements for fire safety.
MTD then decided to vacate almost 40 rooms on 14 and 19 February 2020. At the time, MTD referred to a number of regulations as an argument to be allowed to evict the students, but it now appears that those regulations did not give the authority to proceed with the plans. This is a violation of the law, as a result of which the government must pay compensation to MTD.