Observing that:
In the municipality of Groningen, a maximum of two persons (excluding children) are permitted to live together without requiring a (conversion) permit;
In recent years, conversion permits in Groningen are rarely if ever
issued;
Young people and first-time buyers/renters wishing to move are increasingly unable to leave the parental home and find accommodation1;
59% of households in Groningen consist of a single person2
61% of homes in Groningen are suitable for multi-person households
Considering that:
The housing shortage is largely caused by increasingly smaller
households and a low occupancy rate of dwellings;
In the case of non-self-contained occupancy of a single house by three persons, the points system applies, by which a fair rent price can be enforced;
By exempting living together with three persons from permit requirements, the effect on liveability is limited, as a conversion permit still needs to be applied for in the case of occupancy by four persons or more;
The General Municipal By-law (APV) of Groningen (art. 2:54) already stipulates that the mayor may impose an order subject to a penalty for non-compliance in the event of residential nuisance;
It is possible to monitor permit-exempt cohabitation of three persons via the Personal Records Database (BRP), allowing the impact on liveability to be monitored and evaluated;
Tackling rogue landlords is already largely safeguarded in the Housing Act and tenancy law;
Permit-free living for three persons can increase the occupancy rate of houses in Groningen and therefore be part of the solution to the housing shortage in Groningen;
Requests the Municipal Executive:
The proposed change to the household definition, which reads: “a single person or two persons, with or without children, who run or wish to run a joint household”
To be amended to:
“a single person or two or three persons, with or without children, who.
run or wish to run a joint household”
To incorporate this amendment into the environmental plan and the Housing Regulation;