Detroit legal fees
Donation protected
The board of Tenant Association Detroit has been active with the service fee policy since the summer of 2017. As many of you already know, hundreds of hours have been invested.
Since our May 11th update (versions: English | Dutch), the financial stakes and legal consequences have only become larger and are so severe, that the board doesn’t feel comfortable in making any decisions without obtaining detailed legal advice and guidance. Underneath we’ve outlined the details.
Our goal is that all members make a (minimum) €100 contribution. Should there be funds remaining at the end of the process, it will be evenly refunded. All current & former tenants will benefit from the end result. So, if you can afford to contribute it would be greatly appreciated by everybody :-)
> status DEC21: 70 current & old households have donated and €7,200 has been raised.
You can make a contribution via the 'Donate Now' button on this page.
> rather pay via iDeal, follow this link (expires January 20, 2019)
Total budget needed to the end depends how far Vesteda want to drag this on. The lawyer estimates between €10-12k, but could be higher. Obtaining additional budget from external parties (more info below) is a necessity.
Our current estimate is that, with a fair allocation of costs to Detroit households, the service fees can get reduced by 50-70%, which comes down to an average reduction per household of approximately €1,140-1,600 per year!
A new policy is not only important going forward, but is also the basis for the 2016 and 2017 calculations. And we hope to go back even further.
Cases:
1. you just moved in: a lowering of the service fees has an immediate effect on your monthly payments to Vesteda. Estimate is that you will pay at least €100 LESS per month.
2. you'll be in Detroit for only a year: per year that you will rent in Detroit we estimate that you'll save €1,140-1,600 per year.
3. you've been living in Detroit for multiple years: for 2016&2017 our estimate is that you'll get back €1,140-1,600 per year. If you've lived in Detroit longer: we are looking into getting 2013-2015 reimbursed.
4. the above didn't convince you, but you do appreciate the voluntary work the board is doing for everybody concerning the service fees and all other matters: would be great if you can contribute ;)
5. you can't afford it right now: we've all been there.. please notify a board member so we are aware, and can adjust to it in our work
On this matter we’ve had detailed conversations and knowledge sharing with Woonbond , Vesteda Platform , and fellow associations that have had legal issues with Vesteda in the past. All believe we have a strong case.
Vesteda is NOT willing to supply legal budget budget (but we'll keep trying). We are trying to get additional budget from legal fund by de Gemeente Amsterdam and Vesteda Platform .
The entire (100% of the) fund will be used by Tenant Association Detroit for the cost of legal support regarding the service fees. After the issue is resolved, any remaining funds will be refunded to contributors.
UPDATED (JULY): we already had talks with three firms, and selected: Harmen Meijerink of Hemony Advocaten. He comes recommended by a fellow Detroit resident, who is a real estate lawyer himself. Harmen seems the right person for the job considering his years' of experience and in-depth knowledge.
UPDATED (SEP): we have had two meetings with Hemony, and agreed on a hybrid collaboration in which we will keep costs down by sharing our extensive work/research that has already been done and will supply extra input where necessary. The lawyer will only need to process our input in het letters, and be present in court (if it goes that far). Mignon, lawyer and our former neighbor, is part of the working committee and has a focus to guide & protect the process. Next steps:
> summarize and prioritize each cost item (ie. heating, cleaning, cost allocation with businesses & Boston etc)
> the board will send Vesteda a last letter to come to terms w/ expiration of one week
UPDATED (DEC):
> updated status at November 21 member meeting (see email update December 9)
> we had additional meetings with Harmen (the lawyer) by phone and on location
> finished our recalculation and documentation (44 pages!)
> sent documentation (redacted versions: English | Dutch) to Vesteda via email (versions: English | Dutch) and requested a response before February 1, 2019.
> if expired: the lawyer will summon Vesteda w/ expiration of one week
> if expired: the lawyer will subpoena Vesteda & will see Vesteda in front of a judge
> the Woonbond has also expressed willingness to contribute to our legal fund
> we've shared the documentation with Gemeente Amsterdam, Woonbond, and Vesteda Platform to start request process for funding (we expect to know more in January)
You can make a contribution via the 'Donate Now' button on this page.
> rather pay via iDeal, follow this link (expires January 20, 2019)
If you have questions, please reach out to one of the board members.
Cheers,
The board
Daniel (402)
m. 06-25063511
e. daniel@detroit-amsterdam.nl
Ingrid (518)
m. 06-81150563
e. ingrid@detroit-amsterdam.nl
Nelson (428)
m. 06-11276254
e. nelson@detroit-amsterdam.nl
Paulien (492)
m. 06-28958320
e. paulien@detroit-amsterdam.nl
Pieter (498), chairman
m. 06-27404304
e. pieter@detroit-amsterdam.nl
Since our May 11th update (versions: English | Dutch), the financial stakes and legal consequences have only become larger and are so severe, that the board doesn’t feel comfortable in making any decisions without obtaining detailed legal advice and guidance. Underneath we’ve outlined the details.
Our goal is that all members make a (minimum) €100 contribution. Should there be funds remaining at the end of the process, it will be evenly refunded. All current & former tenants will benefit from the end result. So, if you can afford to contribute it would be greatly appreciated by everybody :-)
> status DEC21: 70 current & old households have donated and €7,200 has been raised.
You can make a contribution via the 'Donate Now' button on this page.
> rather pay via iDeal, follow this link (expires January 20, 2019)
Total budget needed to the end depends how far Vesteda want to drag this on. The lawyer estimates between €10-12k, but could be higher. Obtaining additional budget from external parties (more info below) is a necessity.
Our current estimate is that, with a fair allocation of costs to Detroit households, the service fees can get reduced by 50-70%, which comes down to an average reduction per household of approximately €1,140-1,600 per year!
A new policy is not only important going forward, but is also the basis for the 2016 and 2017 calculations. And we hope to go back even further.
Cases:
1. you just moved in: a lowering of the service fees has an immediate effect on your monthly payments to Vesteda. Estimate is that you will pay at least €100 LESS per month.
2. you'll be in Detroit for only a year: per year that you will rent in Detroit we estimate that you'll save €1,140-1,600 per year.
3. you've been living in Detroit for multiple years: for 2016&2017 our estimate is that you'll get back €1,140-1,600 per year. If you've lived in Detroit longer: we are looking into getting 2013-2015 reimbursed.
4. the above didn't convince you, but you do appreciate the voluntary work the board is doing for everybody concerning the service fees and all other matters: would be great if you can contribute ;)
5. you can't afford it right now: we've all been there.. please notify a board member so we are aware, and can adjust to it in our work
On this matter we’ve had detailed conversations and knowledge sharing with Woonbond , Vesteda Platform , and fellow associations that have had legal issues with Vesteda in the past. All believe we have a strong case.
Vesteda is NOT willing to supply legal budget budget (but we'll keep trying). We are trying to get additional budget from legal fund by de Gemeente Amsterdam and Vesteda Platform .
The entire (100% of the) fund will be used by Tenant Association Detroit for the cost of legal support regarding the service fees. After the issue is resolved, any remaining funds will be refunded to contributors.
UPDATED (JULY): we already had talks with three firms, and selected: Harmen Meijerink of Hemony Advocaten. He comes recommended by a fellow Detroit resident, who is a real estate lawyer himself. Harmen seems the right person for the job considering his years' of experience and in-depth knowledge.
UPDATED (SEP): we have had two meetings with Hemony, and agreed on a hybrid collaboration in which we will keep costs down by sharing our extensive work/research that has already been done and will supply extra input where necessary. The lawyer will only need to process our input in het letters, and be present in court (if it goes that far). Mignon, lawyer and our former neighbor, is part of the working committee and has a focus to guide & protect the process. Next steps:
> summarize and prioritize each cost item (ie. heating, cleaning, cost allocation with businesses & Boston etc)
> the board will send Vesteda a last letter to come to terms w/ expiration of one week
UPDATED (DEC):
> updated status at November 21 member meeting (see email update December 9)
> we had additional meetings with Harmen (the lawyer) by phone and on location
> finished our recalculation and documentation (44 pages!)
> sent documentation (redacted versions: English | Dutch) to Vesteda via email (versions: English | Dutch) and requested a response before February 1, 2019.
> if expired: the lawyer will summon Vesteda w/ expiration of one week
> if expired: the lawyer will subpoena Vesteda & will see Vesteda in front of a judge
> the Woonbond has also expressed willingness to contribute to our legal fund
> we've shared the documentation with Gemeente Amsterdam, Woonbond, and Vesteda Platform to start request process for funding (we expect to know more in January)
You can make a contribution via the 'Donate Now' button on this page.
> rather pay via iDeal, follow this link (expires January 20, 2019)
If you have questions, please reach out to one of the board members.
Cheers,
The board
Daniel (402)
m. 06-25063511
e. daniel@detroit-amsterdam.nl
Ingrid (518)
m. 06-81150563
e. ingrid@detroit-amsterdam.nl
Nelson (428)
m. 06-11276254
e. nelson@detroit-amsterdam.nl
Paulien (492)
m. 06-28958320
e. paulien@detroit-amsterdam.nl
Pieter (498), chairman
m. 06-27404304
e. pieter@detroit-amsterdam.nl
Organizer
Pieter Herman
Organizer
Amsterdam Binnenstad en Oostelijk Havengebied, NL
