Research has shown that a large proportion of owners’ associations (VvE’s) do not set aside sufficient funds for the necessary maintenance and planned refurbishments of the building managed by the association. 35% of the VvEs registered in the commercial register do not have a long-term maintenance plan to justify the funding of the reserve fund.
Ministers Blok and Van der Steur are therefore proposing to make it compulsory for owners’ associations to set aside at least 0.5% of the building’s reconstruction value in the reserve fund each year.
In addition, the association is authorised to enter into a loan agreement to finance:
– improving the building’s energy performance;
– unforeseen maintenance costs;
– other than the usual annual costs, if the reserve fund is insufficient (despite provisions having been made in the previous two years).
The draft bill has been published for public consultation online. Comments on the proposal may be submitted until 30 September 2015. It is intended to come into force after the summer of 2016.