Banning cities from prioritizing refugees in housing is discriminatory, Minister says

The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, has amended a government housing law in such a way that it discriminates against refugees. That must be “repaired,” caretaker Housing Minister Mona Keijzer (BBB) said. “It is clear that this inserted amendment cannot remain in place in its current form.” The Minister wants to consult with the Senate on how this can be further amended.

The PVV amendment prevents municipalities from giving refugees priority for rental housing for any reason. This prohibition means that they cannot jump the list for housing allocation even in emergency cases. Dutch citizens do have this right, which unfairly discriminates between them and refugees, asylum seekers who were granted a residency permit for the Netherlands.

The Minister had previously urged the Tweede Kamer not to vote for the PVV proposal because it violates Article 1 of the Constitution. Nevertheless, it received support from a narrow majority consisting of the VVD, BBB, FvD, SGP, and JA21.

Keijzer is working on her own proposal to scrap refugees’ priority for social housing. Under this proposal, they still have the same rights as Dutch citizens and can therefore be given priority in emergencies. The Council of State will issue an advisory opinion on this in September.

Keijzer also wants to “repair” a change on another point. It concerns expanding the preferential rights on land for municipalities, provinces, and the national government. The amendment would require landowners to first offer their land to one of these authorities when selling. The Tweede Kamer hopes the amendment will prevent land prices from being driven up by speculation. But according to Keijzer, the proposal is such an infringement on property rights that it can't be implemented in its current form. She also wants to discuss this with the Senate, the Eerste Kamer.

The law amended by the PVV is called the Regulation of Public Housing Act. It contains many provisions intended to revitalize the housing market, including increased government powers to intervene in disputes and shorter procedures. Keijzer would like parliament to pass the law as soon as possible.