And with that, a situation similar to that of the crown era seems to emerge, CDA deputy Mustafa Amhaouch also acknowledges. “It’s just that wages are going up, rents are going up, energy prices and purchase prices are going up, but if we’re talking about a fair piece of the economy, landlords shouldn’t be using big inflation figures.”
Amhaouch points out that there are tenants who don’t, but thinks the norm should be for energy costs to be removed. ‘The SME already pays for the energy costs itself.’
“Strength from Society”
He believes Adriaansens should take the force out of society. ‘We have also seen this in corona time. Adriaansens needs to set a standard with landlord representation on what it is proportional for a landlord to ask for inflation. And don’t count twice. In the current consumer price index figures, it was 14.5% for 2022. But if you take the fuel and energy inflation figures, it’s only 6.5%. After all, a shopkeeper already pays for it.’
However, the question is what Minister Adriaansens can do, even if Amhaouch thinks he has one leg to stand on. “Let’s say we want to get through the crisis together, and it’s very explicable for the company,” he says. “Can you point out what an inflation figure is, and if you want to add a good five percent of that energy to that — while you know your tenant also has inflation in energy costs — then you, as the landlord, need to ask yourself if you have a contribution to the solution of the crisis.