RVB is looking for a solution for lease fraud

Central Government Real Estate Agency (RVB) notes that in the case of deregulated leases with conditions relating to the building plan, buildings sometimes take place other than those agreed in the contract. To solve the bottleneck of lease fraud, the RVB has introduced a public application.

The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations has a platform launched to which startups can respond to develop solutions for various societal challenges. Since 2 weeks, this platform has been requesting solutions that contribute to the control and improper use (read: fraud) of leased land.

The RVB states that sometimes other crops are grown than those laid down in the liberalized agreement. The prescribed building plan must ensure that the land is used in a sustainable manner. In short: the restrictions on crop level and the use of the soil must ensure that it is not exhausted.

Challenge
It is argued that there is no good method to check whether the tenant complies with his building plan obligation. A solution is therefore requested for the control and/or prevention of incorrect use (fraud) of leased land. They want to have the following questions answered; how do we gain insight into the use of leased land, and are the prescribed building plans complied with?

The last question relates to the application for payment entitlements. It is argued that the payment rights issued and the issuance of the leased land are not linked. This makes it impossible to check whether the subsidy is being spent correctly. The RVB therefore wants an innovative solution to tackle this.

Control methodology
Should acquiring an idea via the 'startup challenge' ensure stricter controls? A spokesperson for the RVB states that the control method is a labour-intensive process. The current checks are carried out by visual inspections on the plots. That is why the RVB wants an innovative solution to modernize controls on the use of leased land (and thus indeed to strengthen control and enforcement).

When asked whether this new method will also be applied to checking illegal subletting of regular leases (also known as balcony farmers mentioned), the spokesman replies that initially it will only be tested on the short, liberalized lease expenditure. About 4.000 hectares in the Netherlands are allocated in this way by the RVB.

New channel
The public application is in line with the government's desired innovative working method: experimenting, giving space to new initiatives and establishing connections with new parties. "The public application via 'Startup in Residence' fits well with this new method," said the spokesperson.

"Everyone can send in his or her idea until December 10. The ideas with the most potential can receive a compensation of up to € 25.000, in order to further develop this idea," reports the RVB. Should a solution be obtained through the public application, it can be entered. The purpose of a possible solution is described as 'insurance of quality and sustainability of the land portfolio'.

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