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VvE explained / The basics

What is a VvE and what does the law require?

Every owner of an apartment in a divided building is a member of the VvE. These are the basic legal rules from Book 5 of the Dutch Civil Code.

Do you own the apartment you live in? Then you are almost certainly a member of a Vereniging van Eigenaars, or VvE (owners' association). That is true even if your VvE never meets or nobody ever talks about it.

How does a VvE come into existence?

A VvE is created when a notary divides a building into apartment rights. The division is made by a notarial deed that is registered in the public registers (article 5:109(1) of the Dutch Civil Code, BW). The regulations in that deed must provide for setting up a VvE and contain its articles (article 5:112(1)(e) BW).

You are a member automatically

Every apartment owner is a member of the VvE by law. If you sell your apartment, your membership ends automatically too (article 5:125(2) BW). So you can't opt out, and even a building with only two apartments has a VvE.

What does a VvE do?

The VvE is a legal entity (article 5:124(1) BW). It manages the shared parts of the building, such as the roof, the facade and the stairwell. The private parts are not included (article 5:126(1) BW).

The main legal duties

  • A reserve fund. The VvE keeps a reserve fund for costs that don't come back every year, such as major maintenance (article 5:126(1) BW). For residential buildings there is a minimum yearly contribution (article 5:126(2) BW).
  • A separate account. For residential buildings, reserve fund contributions are in principle held in a separate account in the VvE's name (article 5:126(3) BW).
  • A board. The VvE has a board of at least one board member, appointed by the owners' meeting (article 5:131 BW).
  • An owners' meeting. All owners have access to the meeting, where decisions are made (articles 5:125(1) and 5:127(1) BW).
  • Insurance. The regulations set out who insures the building and against which risks (article 5:112(1)(d) BW).

In addition, a VvE should be registered in the KvK (Chamber of Commerce) trade register.

What does this mean for you?

As an owner you contribute to the shared costs and you have a vote at the meeting. How much you pay and how many votes you have is set out in the deed of division.

Source: Dutch Civil Code Book 5, title 9 (apartment rights)

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Buur is not live yet. Want to be the first to know when you can sign up your VvE? Join the waitlist at mijn-buur.nl. Curious what managing your VvE costs? Work it out with the VvE management cost calculator (in Dutch).

Related docs

The deed of division explainedThe deed of division is your VvE's most important document. What's in it, where do you find it and how do you change it?How shares determine who pays whatThe share in the deed of division often determines how much you contribute to the VvE's costs. Here's how it works.The MJOP explainedA multi-year maintenance plan shows what maintenance is coming and how much your VvE needs to save for it. Here's what the law says.Restarting a dormant VvEA dormant VvE still exists, with all its duties. Here's how to pick things up again, step by step.