Landlord in 's-Hertogenbosch area sentenced for €700,000 fraud against tenants
A 55-year-old landlord from Vught has been penalized for defrauding dozens of tenants out of over €700,000 through falsified service charge overviews. Tenants faced unjust deductions from deposits, leaving many without rightful refunds. The case highlights vulnerabilities in the housing market.
| Key Data Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Suspect | 55-year-old man from Vught |
| Location | Vught, ’s-Hertogenbosch, Breda |
| Duration of Fraud | Mid-2016 to end of 2024 |
| Total Fraud Amount | Over €700,000 |
| Repaid to Tenants | Partially, with over €500,000 remaining to be settled |
| Penalty | 178 hours community service, €25,000 fine |
| Assets Seized | Vehicles, bank accounts, property |
| Accountant Involvement | 56-year-old man from Belgium, cooperated with investigation |
| Reporting Entity | Hezelaer Energy BV (energy supplier) |
| Arrest Date | 27 May 2025 |
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) is responsible for prosecuting criminal offenses in the Netherlands, ensuring justice for victims and holding perpetrators accountable. In this case, the OM worked with local authorities to address fraud that exploited tenants in a vulnerable housing market.
Openrijk is free and ad-free
Do you value our work? Help us stay online with a small contribution.
Read the full translated article below
Fraud involving dozens of tenants in the 's-Hertogenbosch area amounting to over €700,000: Public Prosecution Service penalises landlord
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) has imposed a summary punishment on a 55-year-old man from Vught for fraud and forgery. The man, who acted as a landlord for several properties in Vught, ’s-Hertogenbosch and Breda, is alleged to have defrauded dozens of tenants and embezzled deposits. Between mid-2016 and the end of 2024, he is said to have made a profit of over €700,000. The OM considered it appropriate to impose a maximum community service order of 180 hours. Since the man has already spent one night in pre-trial detention, this has been deducted, leaving a community service order of 178 hours. In addition, he must pay a fine of €25,000. As the man has already repaid part of the amount to the tenants, a further sum of over €500,000 remains to be paid through a settlement with the State. To ensure that the suspect can pay this amount, attachments have been placed on his vehicles, bank accounts and property.
Discrepancies in meter readings
The crime came to light in October 2023 when an report was filed by Hezelaer Energy BV, the energy supplier for the properties. The company had been alerted by tenants to discrepancies in meter readings. During the police investigation, several tenants filed complaints against the landlord. The energy supplier has no involvement in the fraud.
Method of operation
It became clear that the same method was used repeatedly: tenants paid a deposit for service charges to the suspect, including for energy consumption. Energy supplier Hezelaer Energy BV sent an annual final invoice to the landlord. Based on these annual invoices, tenants should have received a partial refund of their deposit in some cases. However, they did not receive this, or only received part of it. When tenants requested this, a fictitious overview of the service charges was created, making it appear as though they were not entitled to a refund or only to a limited refund. When tenants then asked to see the annual invoice from the energy company, this invoice was adjusted to match the fictitious service charge overview. As a result, tenants either did not receive a refund of their deposit or received only a small amount. The suspect kept the money for himself.
"Tenants are in a dependent relationship with their landlord. Such fraud must therefore be dealt with firmly."
Accountant
During the investigation, it also became clear that the landlord’s accountant, a 56-year-old man living in Belgium, played a role in the fraud. After consulting with the landlord, he created the incorrect overviews and annual invoices that allowed the landlord to unjustly retain money from the tenants. The accountant came clean during the investigation. Thanks in part to his cooperative attitude, the police and the OM were able to quickly gain insight into the methods used by both suspects. The landlord was arrested on 27 May 2025, and attachments were placed on his property, bank accounts and cars. The landlord also confessed to the criminal offences during the investigation. In addition, over the past few months, with the help of a new accountant, he has voluntarily repaid a large number of affected tenants and restructured the entire rental administration so that tenants will be correctly billed in the future.
Compensation for tenants
The OM has now assessed the case and imposed a community service order of 178 hours and a fine of €25,000 on the landlord. Given the scale of the case, it was decided to first conclude the case against this suspect. The decision on the case against the accountant will be made shortly. For the OM, it is important that defrauded tenants receive compensation for the overpaid costs. Some tenants have already been compensated for the past few years, but it has become clear that not all tenants from the past nine years could be compensated. As the landlord earned more from the embezzlement than he has repaid—amounting to €503,932.13—he is required to pay this amount to the State. The public prosecutor stated: “In the current tight housing market, tenants are in a vulnerable position and have a dependent relationship with their landlord. The OM therefore considers it important that such fraud, as revealed in this investigation, is dealt with firmly.”
Integrated approach
To prevent the landlord from defrauding tenants again in the future, various municipalities, the Tax and Customs Administration, the police and the OM are working together to combat this form of undermining. For example, the municipality of ’s-Hertogenbosch has already carried out various inspections. The Tax and Customs Administration is investigating whether the individuals involved in the case comply with their tax obligations. The partners are working together within the Regional Information and Expertise Centre (RIEC) East Brabant.