Three tough questions for Jeroen Brinkman

Pithy questions, we love them! We ask them in order to defend your interests perfectly. That way we can get to the point quickly. In this section we do it the other way around and present your lawyer with some stimulating questions. Meet Jeroen Brinkman (lawyer renting and real estate)

Do you support jury trials?

"No, absolutely not! I think we generally have very well-trained judges, who can make the right decision with intelligence. A jury does not look at a case with a professional eye and therefore can be influenced too much by feelings and what is in the media. Suppose someone has 15 months of rent arrears and is in danger of being evicted. With a pathetic story, he can magnify his personal misfortune and give the impression that he can't do anything about it. A jury will not be aware of the legal options that protect someone from just being evicted. A judge in that case can judge more objectively whether someone is taking advantage of something or whether he really needs to be protected from injustice. Jury trials therefore do not seem desirable to me, even in civil cases, such as rental issues."

What do you think of the new sharing economy companies like Airbnb?

"I think it's good to make smarter use of certain things. In fact, sharing is a great way to reduce waste of money and environmental pollution. Airbnb is a good example of that where short-term rentals are concerned. Of course, there are also negative consequences associated with it, such as unfair competition and possible nuisance in the residential environment. But I doubt that the nuisance is caused only by Airbnb, probably tourism is experiencing tremendous growth anyway. Without Airbnb, the nuisance would probably be even greater. In addition, the law offers plenty of ways to combat nuisance. After all, you are not allowed to cause nuisance (annoyance) to your neighbors. If nuisance actually occurs, let's solve it afterwards on a case-by-case basis instead of coming up with additional rules for this again."

What is your guilty pleasure, or outlet?

I am generally pretty quiet. Even when playing my favorite sports, soccer and cycling, I am not likely to use expletives. However, I am very fanatical in sports and games and very much want to win. I can't stand injustice! The great thing about a team sport like soccer is that you get everything out of it together. Cycling is more solitary and I try to get everything out of it. By using a number of apps you can keep track of your own progress and measure it against others. This year I cycled the Tour of Nijmegen and the Amstel Gold Race. And we might be climbing some mountains abroad soon."