Minister says landlord is responsible for cold senior housing
In answers to parliamentary questions, minister Sterk says the landlord must repair the heating and that it is reasonable for the landlord to offer residents a suitable solution.
The answers to parliamentary questions came on 26 October, also on behalf of the minister for housing and spatial planning. The complex belongs to housing corporation Ymere.
Sterk said the landlord is responsible for maintaining and repairing installations such as the central heating boiler. It is therefore reasonable for the landlord to offer a solution that takes account of the circumstances of different residents, the minister said.
Asked whether anyone should actively check which residents are especially vulnerable and need immediate support or an emergency facility when heating in a senior housing complex fails for a long time, the minister answered: "Yes."
Sterk said everyone deserves a warm home, especially older and sick people. "Living in a poorly heated home is uncomfortable and undesirable," the minister wrote.
On the cause, Sterk said the works had been planned.
Ymere told the minister that sending residents to its office in Weesp for an electric fire was a communication error. It said it held a meeting with residents to discuss this, and that no resident has asked to borrow an electric fire.
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Ymere
Ymere is a Dutch housing corporation (woningcorporatie), a non-profit organisation that owns and rents out social rental homes. It is active in the Amsterdam region and is responsible for the maintenance and management of its own buildings and tenants. Its obligations, such as keeping homes in good condition and providing essential services like heating, are set by Dutch housing law.