A 32-year-old man from Noordwijk has allegedly grossly abused the housing crisis, according to the Public Prosecution Service. He rented holiday homes for a few days and then made a large profit by supposedly putting them on the market as rental properties.
The suspect rented a property somewhere in the country via AirBNB for a few days, usually in the Randstad. He then listed that property on Marktplaats, and tenants looking for a home contacted him. The suspect arranged a viewing and then had the deposit and first months rent transferred. Once the new tenants arrived at their property and discovered that it was not available for rent, the suspect was nowhere to be found.
In this way, the suspect scammed seventeen people, the public prosecutor stated in court on Tuesday. The damage went far beyond just financial loss. Some had already terminated their old rental agreements and could no longer find a place to stay - they ended up on the street. The damage caused by the suspect is immensely large, the public prosecutor said. Victims not only lost their money but also their homes, their safety, their trust in humanity, and their self-worth.
In addition to the seventeen scams, the suspect was also on trial for the theft of an extremely expensive watch. Altogether, he is said to have enriched himself with an amount of more than 64,000 euros. The Public Prosecution Service believes that the man should pay compensation to the victims and should also serve 36 months in prison (of which 6 months conditionally).