Construction fees, can it be a little less?

This time I want to talk about a topic that lies outside my own playing field. My office colleague Rudi Minkhorst, who in his daily practice deals with, as we call it, environment and government, recently talked about ways to save on fees when applying for a building permit. I don't want to withhold his tips on that.

If you want to build - and many of you want to build again - you need permits to do so. To issue them, you will have to pay fees. These fees are based on the municipal fees ordinance. In many fee regulations, fees are determined based on construction costs. These construction costs are often determined on the basis of the contract price or NEN 2699. But beware! Not all parts based on which the construction costs are determined relate to the permit application. After all, some parts are building permit-free. The costs that relate to parts of the work that do not require a building permit can be omitted from the application. Examples include insurance, finishing the building and painting. If you do not include these items, you often save more than 20% on construction costs and thus on the fees.

In short, by applying for an airframe permit, you can save on permit fees.

If the application has already been made and you have the impression that the dues bill is very high, it may be advisable to have it looked at. Municipalities have to observe frameworks within which the fees must remain. Important in this respect is, for example, that the revenues may not exceed the costs; in other words, the municipality may not make a profit by charging fees. However, a large number of municipalities do not make proper estimates of income and expenses when establishing the fees ordinance. Thus, if permits are issued on the basis of a fee ordinance whose substantiation is not correct, this can lead to a reduction or even cancellation of the fee bill. Other - procedural - errors also occur. For example, if the charging officer turns out not to be competent. Detail? Perhaps, but sometimes with the result that the municipality is not allowed to charge fees or to a much lower amount.

Could it be fun after all.