Real estate agents will have to sign up to a professional register under plans announced by Housing Minister Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan (D66) in a letter to parliament.
Agents who do not register, or who are removed from the register, would be barred from practising.
At present, anyone can start working as an agent.
Industry bodies such as the Dutch Association of Real Estate Agents (NVM) have codes of conduct, but the minister says these are rarely if ever enforced.
The organisations are reportedly afraid that members would simply leave and carry on working without them.
Agents have tried to fix problems in the sector with their own rules, but many people are unhappy with the results.
Earlier this year the homeowners’ association Vereniging Eigen Huis received hundreds of complaints about misconduct in the home-buying process.
A common complaint is that buyers are not allowed to see bidding logs.
The minister concluded that the sector’s own rules have “too little corrective power”.
She had tried to make them work better together with the industry, but said the professional associations were not managing to take the necessary further steps.
She sees no alternative but to set the rules herself.
Standards set in law
Registered agents would have to follow conduct standards written into law, based on three principles: transparency, accurate information and equal treatment.
Consumers with complaints could turn to an existing disputes committee.
The minister will work out the rules over the coming months.
One open question is whether they should also cover other services agents provide, such as in the rental market.
She also wants to stop agents’ fees from rising significantly. More details are expected early next year.
Agents want competency requirements
The NVM supports the proposal, but would have preferred agents to meet an educational standard and show professional competence before they can register.
“A statutory register creates the expectation that an agent is qualified,” said Lana Goutsmits-Gerssen, chair of NVM Wonen.
“Without competency requirements, you cannot meet that expectation. That is false assurance.
Consumers deserve a statutory quality guarantee with real substance.” The NVM is calling on the minister to reconsider.
PVV MP Jeremy Mooiman was already working on a private member’s bill to bind agents to professional rules, which also includes a registration system.
The minister wrote that she is keen to work with him, and a spokesperson for her ministry did not rule out the cabinet bringing in its own legislation.
While the register is still being worked out, buyers deciding who to trust with their bid can start with our guide to the best estate agents in Amsterdam.
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