The Homeowners Association examined 56 contracts from homeowners association managers across the country, and several things emerged from this analysis. For example, prices for different activities performed by officials appear to vary widely, and in most cases there is a lack of adequate dispute resolution.

Big differences in cost

And this is not the only thing. The costs of the task packages offered by administrators also vary greatly; One manager receives three thousand euros, and another receives nineteen thousand euros for the same work.

“Although cost differences also depend on the size of the homeowners association, it pays to ask for different quotes,” says Cindy Kramer, director of the Eigen Huis Association. “It’s important, as a homeowners association, to be aware of these price differences and what additional business is being charged.”

To protect homeowners’ associations from bad management contracts, the association is now calling for a mandatory model agreement.

Many homeowners associations hire a manager to take the work off your hands. A manager may be appointed, for example, to manage the building, its finances and its maintenance.

Mandatory administrator certification

Vereniging Eigen Huis wants the government to impose quality requirements on the management profession to combat a lack of professionalism. The association is therefore calling for mandatory manager certification, containing training requirements, accessible complaints procedures, and the use of a model agreement for all homeowners associations.

Kramer: “There are many trade organizations that operate with standard contracts. Managers currently benefit very little from this, because only a small group is affiliated with these organizations. With a standard agreement, homeowner associations better know where they stand.” “It comes to improve the professionalism of officials.”

What does a homeowners association do?

About one in six homeowners in the Netherlands live in an owner-occupied apartment. Anyone who buys an apartment is often automatically a member of a homeowners’ association (VvE). VvE is responsible for managing and maintaining the common parts of the residential building such as the hall, window frames, ventilation and roof.

Every month, the apartment residents contribute funds amounting to hundreds of euros per month.

The board of directors of the owners association includes the residents of the apartment complex, often without the proper knowledge. The majority of homeowners’ associations outsource management to a third-party service provider. For newly built apartments, a manager is often appointed by the builder or developer.