Legal and Administrative Challenges
The Ministry of Housing recently commissioned a study to better understand what obstacles VVEs face. A clear challenge emerges: over 70 percent of all VVEs must change their property deeds before making any sustainability upgrades to their buildings. Property deeds define which parts of a building are individually owned and which parts are shared collectively by all owners.

Solar panels are one example of a property use which requires changing the deeds, as is connecting buildings to district heating systems. The complexity of these legal modifications often means that the process slows down to a halt.

Researchers warned that the challenges created by existing property laws could either delay or prevent significant upgrades.

In the absence of changing the property laws, large numbers of homes will not have the opportunity to connect to new sustainable heating districts and will remain reliant on natural gas.

Impact on Climate Goals
Municipalities aim to make 1.5 million homes and other buildings free of natural gas or ready for conversion by 2030.

Moving toward 2050, the Dutch government intends to be free of natural gas across the entire country and is advancing measures to improve insulation and implement sustainable heating. As part of the Climate Agreement, the government aims to make an additional 500,000 existing homes and other buildings ready for connectin.