2 tips to avoid high construction application fees

Tip 1: Good preparation

In many dues regulations, dues are determined based on construction costs. The construction costs are then determined on the basis of the contract price or NEN 2699. But not all construction costs are related to the permit application. It is allowed not to include those building permit parts in the application. So apply for a shell permit, not including the finishing, painting, insurance and the like. In this way, you often save more than 20% on construction costs and therefore on fees. To avoid an unnecessary procedure, I recommend that you send along a justification of the costs.

Tip 2: Objecting pays off

If high dues are imposed anyway, it pays to have them looked at carefully. In the context of establishing the dues ordinance, the municipality must properly estimate the income and expenses. Research shows that approximately 30% of the municipalities do not do this correctly or indicate that they do not know whether they have done this correctly*. An incorrect estimate of income and expenses can lead to reduction or even destruction of the dues bill. In addition, procedural errors often turn out to have been made, such as incorrect publication of the designation of the charging officer. Even at this stage, the amount of construction costs can still be debated, but the application is there!

In short

If you have a permit application or a hefty dues bill and are unsure how to handle it, I would be happy to help.

*Source: Parliamentary letter from Minister Plasterk on financial key figures for municipalities, May 9, 2016.