Vote on privatization of construction supervision on May 14

Current construction supervision
The municipality already grants the environmental permit (building permit) if it is plausible that the paper building plan meets the building regulations. Noteworthy detail: the municipality can also grant the environmental permit if not all calculations have been submitted.

Research by Vereniging Eigen Huis shows that new-build homes now have an average of 21 defects upon completion. Defects that the municipality does not detect, because it is not obliged to verify whether the completed building actually complies with the building regulations. In the run-up to privatization, years of looting or the municipal civil service were committed.

Privatization
The purpose of the proposed Building Quality Assurance Act is to increase construction quality. During construction, a private quality assurance officer supervises. He certifies whether the completed building meets the building regulations. Without his positive declaration, the municipality may refuse the commissioning. So there is a mandatory, private final inspection. The municipality does not test the paper building plan when granting a permit. However, the municipality can enforce after signals from the quality assurance officer.

The debate on April 23
The Senate debated this privatization on April 23. The political parties are sharply divided. All political parties are in favor of changing municipal construction supervision. Even if the bill is rejected.

The opponents believe, mainly from their gut feeling, that construction supervision should remain a government task. According to them, there should be more building and housing supervision officials instead of private quality guarantors.

Minister Ollongren does not want to amend the bill or introduce a new bill. If the bill is rejected, she believes it is up to municipalities to improve building supervision themselves.

The outcome of the vote is uncertain.

Vision Peter de Haan
The important thing is that the completed structure is compliant and not the paper construction plan. A mandatory final inspection is therefore desirable. This final inspection can be performed by a private quality assurance company, or an official from building and housing supervision.

If the latter model is chosen, it does require many more building and housing supervision officials. Opponents of privatization have no plans on how those additional officials will be funded.

Building quality must go up. Doing nothing is not an option. It is distressing that the bill is likely to be voted down while there is no worked-out alternative.