We understand that it might have come as quite a surprise to find a letter with an offer inside that you did not ask for. Therefore, we would like to be transparent about our preliminary research and selection process.

Traditionally, apartment buildings in Amsterdam were built with a storage room on the top floor. In some periods, it was even madatory by law that the size of the storage room or attic was in proportion to the living space. Due to these regulations, apartment buildings in certain neighborhoods in Amsterdam always have a storage room, usually on the top floor, as the top floor offered the least comfort in living. We analyzed all the neighborhoods and the apartment buildings, street by street, where possible.

All the information is published in the public domain by the municipality of Amsterdam. You can see this for yourself at:

https://data.amsterdam.nl/data/geozoek/

At HoogWonen we understand that losing your storage room is far from ideal. That is why we will give you a very attractive compensation package as a tenant! This entails a storage unit in the neighborhood and a couple of months' worth of rent!

Bij HoogWonen kijken we waar we het snelst het meeste verschil kunnen maken. U en uw medebewoners hebben uw pand nagenoeg of in geheel in eigendom. Dit betekent dat jullie als VVE zelf een beslissing hierover mogen nemen. 

Daarbij vinden wij als HoogWonen het idee dat ons geld terechtkomt bij een pandjesbaas of investeringsbedrijf minder aantrekkelijk. Wie zien liever dat het terechtkomt bij particulieren die het goed kunnen gebruiken, om dromen te verwezenlijken, of voor een appeltje voor de dorst in onzekere tijden.

Bepaalde wijken in Amsterdam zijn gebouwd in een bepaalde periode en stijl, waarbij van origine bergingen op de bovenste etages werden gevestigd.

If there is no interest in our proposition, your address will be archived as' approached in the past' and all further data will be deleted. We do not sell your data, nor the cadastral data. For more information about your data, you can contact us at any time. Please view our privacy policy.

We hope our transparency is appreciated. We also hope to strike up a conversation with you, should the opportunity arise.

A very fair question! How often do you use the items that are in storage? Would it be possible for them to be relocated a little bit further away? In a secure, heated, and vermin-free storage facility? You have 24/7  access to them. The storage unit, combined with a substantial offer, and your ability to help someone purchase their first home...

The simple answer is: why not?

It is HoogWonen B.V. that will purchase your storage room. HoogWonen is an initiative led by entrepreneurs whom have already established several successful companies with one similarity—all of these companies contributed something to the environment or society in general.

HoogWonen is run by a great team, this group of specialists combined have over a 100 years experience of entrepreneurship in construction, project development, legal services and will arrange the much-needed funding thereof. All of which is required to create new housing.

You and the home-buyers who are just starting out on the housing market can therefore rest a sure to be in good hands.

The redevelopment of a property is never the same as every building differs from one another, it's always a custom job. This will translate into our final offer to you and the members of your VVE. It will start with an assessment of your storage room or attic and its structural condition.

The starting amount is a product from our initial research and is a general range of our average bid. It is possible that your storage room is larger or smaller than that of your (fellow) VVE members. We will take every VVE member into consultation and divide the total amount available in propotion of the storage rooms available. 

In any case, HoogWonen will inspect the storage room. We measure everything and check the storage room on a number of different points. If it appears that additional checks are required, you will receive the final offer within 48 hours. Otherwise you will receive our offer immediately.

That is the law. All members (with a storage) of your VVE have therefore received the same letter/proposal.

Everyone is free in their decision whether they want to sell their storage room to HoogWonen or not. But in any case, the entire VVE must come to an agreement if any changes are applied for. 

Of course, we are always willing to consult with you, on your behalf, or with the members of the VVE to answer any of their questions.

The first step is a Letter of Intent. This is to be signed with HoogWonen's final offer. In short, it states that we all is explained in a clear manner, that everyone is happy with the offer; and the members of the VVE agree unanimously.

The Letter of Intent then goes to a civil-law notary with the agreement of the VVE members.

The notary checks everything and will ensures all goes in accordance with the law 

There are strict procedures involved in a real estate transaction. The law simply stipulates this and for good reason. 

While everything is set up with the notary, HoogWonen will work with multiple parties to get the entire process going.

The Municipality of Amsterdam is key. They must grant all permits before the final transfer can take place. The Land Registry and certain financial institutions must also be informed well ahead of time.

Everything is governed by the rule of law, and no one can check this process better than a civil-law notary affiliated with the KNB.

Our notary is Schut van der Ven Notarissen, located at Piet Heinkade 229 – 1019 HM Amsterdam. Together with the HoogWonen team, they are responsible for a carefree transaction and the transfer and payment of the funds.

The notary ensures that this is done according to the rule of law. They will contact all parties involved and check whether the details are correct.  When everything is in order and the agreement of the VVE is processed, HoogWonen will deposit the money with the notary in an escrow account. Subsequently, the notary confirms to all involved that the money is ready, and then the deed of sale can be passed. Once this is done, the notary transfers the agreed amounts to you, the owners of the storage attic. So you can relax and fantasize about...... 

This depends on a number of factors. In particular, the municipality of Amsterdam. Buildings on private land go through the process more quickly than buildings that have an 'Erfpacht', or lease on the land. On average, we maintain a bandwidth of three to nine months.

As mentioned, nothing will happen to your storage room in the first year, even if the amount has already been paid out. You will then be using the storage room from HoogWonen.

Long story short: not at all. The value of ​​a home is determined by the surface area that has a residential code/ destination. A storage room doesn't have a residential destination and is therefore not seen as usable living area.

The NVM the biggest real estate association in the Netherlands, makes a clear distinction in this regard (see link):

Usable area, also known as living area, is the sum of all usable areas within a home, such as the kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedrooms, etc. These areas are all heated, well insulated, fireproofed, and accessible within the object, for example via a hallway or stairs within the house itself.

For this reason, a separate storage room belongs to the so-called "additional indoor spaces." In Amsterdam, these storage rooms are usually located on the top floor or in the basement of an apartment building. Because storage areas are sporadically used or visited, they are usually not heated and little to no daylight enters.

They are therefore not or hardly insulated, and they are not up to building code or eligible for obtaining a residential destination/code. It is therefore prohibited by law to use a storage room for anything other than to store things. 

This is also the reason why we are applying for a permit to turn a storage room into a real living space.

Example

If we look up two homes in the same district on real estate website Funda, with the same number of square meters, one with and one without storage, we see that they have a similar value. The square meters intended for residential use are what determine the price with the NVM broker's measurement.

Similar situation

A house on your own/private land or with 'Erfpacht' leasing the land? The ground lease makes no difference to the value of the house, even though the owner of a house with a ground lease needs to pay a substantial amount every year. The number of square meters of living space or user space is leading.

For more information, visit the NVM Netherlands website.

Seeing a new paying member being added to the VVE could lead to a decrease in the contribution of the other residents:

• If an apartment is added to the building, the monthly contribution can be redivided and the VVE contribution per owner can be reduced:
  
  
• During the transformation  of the storage rooms, two main refurbishments will be carried out by HoogWonen:
  
  
  • The roof will be renewed or the roof shingles will be redone. This will cost between €8,000 and €15,000 on average.
    
    
  • Stairwell renovation costs between €4,000 and €8,000 on average.

Because HoogWonen takes care of this, these can be left out from the VVE's major maintenance plan. This saves the VVE tens of thousands of euros. The funds or budgets already reserved can be used for something else, such as painting the woodwork, grouting the facade, or making the building more sustainable.

With profit sharing, all rewards will be paid after the sale of the new home. Because this happens then, there will be clarity about the costs incurred. There is no speculation involved. When acquiring in advance, we as HoogWonen have to create a buffer to ensure that the project remains profitable. With profit sharing, the profit can therefore be higher because we do not have to include that buffer.

All quotations and invoices with regard to the costs to be incurred are shared. HoogWonen wants to be transparent at all times, that's  what partners are for.

Of course, getting a fixed amount right away is inherent to zero risk. By working together, the ultimate yield depends on the costs incurred and the final sale price. HoogWonen finances the entire project and therefore you are not exposed to the risk of suddenly have to pay  huge amounts of money, even in the event of a possible loss. The chance that a loss will be made at all is extremely small. House prices may of course decrease by a certain amount, however the potential decrease will not outweigh the minimum selling price. For example, after the 2008 financial crisis, house prices have fallen by 21.5% on average throughout the Netherlands in 5 years. That is less than 5% per year. Currently, the housing shortage in Amsterdam is enormous and unfortunately it will remain that way for a while. So the demand of new homes will not disappear.

Nee, het blijft bij deze ene brief. U zult alleen door ons worden benaderd en nooit herhaaldelijk. Uw gegevens worden vervolgens afgestreept en gearchiveerd. Wij zullen uw gegevens nooit doorverkopen. Het doorverkopen van kadastrale gegevens is streng verboden.  

Wij hopen juist dat u onze persoonlijke en transparante aanpak waardeert. Zo creëren we de gelegenheid om in gesprek te gaan.

The latest report from the UN Climate Panel is alarming. Construction accounts for 40% of the global emissions of CO2, which leads to global warming. The efficient use of existing buildings is therefore essential.

For example: the construction of an average single-family home of 120m2 generates about 90 tons of CO2. The majority share is produced in the production of the required concrete and the baking of the bricks. This consumes large amounts of energy and raw materials.

As we build (start-up) homes in existing buildings, we save a significant part of these emissions. The construction of an average apartment of 40m2 causes approximately 30 tons of CO2 emissions. The transformation or completion of an additional home into an existing building will consume only a fraction of the total energy and building materials. According to our calculations, this would save us at least two thirds, or 20 tons of CO2. A major sustainable step in the right direction!

We make apartments more energy efficient and sustainable by, among other things, installing a hybrid heat pump. This is in preparation for the new rules set by the Dutch government, which will make it mandatory from 2026 to install a heat pump when replacing the heating system.

A hybrid heat pump works together with a regular gas central heating boiler, reducing gas consumption. This is not only better for the climate, but saves a pretty penny. The hybrid heat pump consists of two main units. One is installed next to the central heating system and one is installed outside. This extracts energy (the warmth) from the outside air. The heat pump takes this energy to a higher temperature level, so that it can be added to the central heating. This is done with electricity and not with (expensive) gas. The central heating boiler is then only used for hot water in the kitchen or bathroom or as a back-up on very cold days. This way, you have a nice, cosy home while helping the climate. 

Taking an average 40m2 apartment, built before 1979 and with an average gas consumption of 800m2 (cubic meters) per year, a hybrid heat pump will save around €599 worth annually. As mentioned previously - every building is different, meaning the solutions need to be tailored to each building. This estimate was calculated via the Natural Gas Free website.

Sustainability is something we hear more and more often. Actually, we hear it all the time. Some people no longer see what impact some claims really have. With an energy label, you immediately know where you stand.

HoogWonen always strives for energy label A. This is one of the highest levels of future-proofing a home in minimizing the impact it has on the environment. This also helps first-time buyers in the housing market. ABN Amro, for example, gives a 0.15% discount on the interest rate on a mortgage when a house has a energy label A.

Because no storage room is identical,  we critically assess what our options are in relation to sustainable improvements . We always weigh the maximum gain against the investment required: both in money and in the required materials. raw materials and, as a result, emissions. Installing an entire new roof to achieve only 5% extra insulation value does more harm than good to the environment.

There are five main elements that are of great importance for optimal insulation:

1. Superior quality window frames with HR double glazing;
2. Double insulation of the walls is done with PIR insulation board. These reduce energy bills by up to 25%;
3. Insulation of the roof, again by PIR plates. These provide solid insulation for all seasons;
4. Floor insulation, usually with Fermacell floorboards. They not only provide thermal insulation, they also dampen sound for the neighbors downstairs;
5. Ensuring all rooms are draft-and moisture-free.

Every property is different. But HoogWonen often mainly works with PIR insulation. These boards differ in thickness from 50 mm to 120 mm. They have an exceptionally high value of insulation, are fireproof, light and can be installed quickly and without a lot of noise.  

During the renovation, the floor will be well insulated against noise and heat loss. The residents of the apartment below will benefit from this. It provides more comfort because unlike a poorly insulated storage room, the new apartment will be heated.

Everything is negotiable. For example, part of the amount to be paid can be put in a reserve to install a hybrid heat pump/central heating system. This saves year on year in heating costs and ensures that the entire building makes a big leap forward towards a sustainable future. In addition, a heat pump will be mandatory from 2026 when replacing the central heating system.