NEWGEIN – Marco Hofman has been looking for a new home for his blended family for two years now. He lives in a three-room apartment in Nieuwegein with his wife and four children. When a five-bedroom single-family home came their way, they couldn’t believe their luck. Once with four children and a bus full of stuff in front of the door, it turned out that the house was not for rent at all. Defeated and full of sadness they tell their story.
The house search of Marco and his wife is one like that of so many: hopeless. He works as a self-employed person and is an upholsterer, his wife works in care. Their income is too high for social housing. But in the free sector they do not intervene.
They both have two children from a previous relationship. They moved in together two years ago. “My wife’s situation was untenable because she had to flee from her ex. And she has no family to live with.”
My bonus daughter was so looking forward to a new bedroom
They immediately started looking for a larger living space. Because the two-bedroom apartment they now live in is really too small. The parents sleep in the living room and the children share a room. “My bonus daughter was so looking forward to a room of her own. She already had a floor plan with a layout of the room she would have. And my wife and I were also looking forward to having our own bedroom, a little more privacy.”
They found their dream home on Facebook. Five bedrooms, 800 euros. “It seemed like a gift from heaven. After two years of searching, it was a dream come true.”
‘Landlords had a good story’
The so-called landlords live in Spain and had a good story, says Hofman. “The rental had already gone wrong once and they didn’t want to fly to the Netherlands for every viewing.” Marco understood that. “And the landlords wanted to make sure we were serious, so we transferred 1600 euros, one month’s rent and the deposit.”
Yesterday was the big day. At 1 p.m., the family showed up at what they believed to be their new home with a busload of belongings. But once there, someone opened the door who didn’t know anything about it. “That man was scared to death. This is my house and it has been sold, I have to get out myself at the end of the month,” the family was told. “We were defeated and stunned. This can’t be true! We got back in the car and thought: we’ve been ripped off.”
The family has barely recovered from it. “I feel guilty towards my children and towards my bonus children. They stayed home from school today, they didn’t sleep a wink last night. Fortunately the school understood.” Only the youngest of 6 went to school. “He did come home with a drawing of a house that we were going to live in. That dream has been taken away from her.”
They were not suspicious beforehand, says Hofman. “We understood the story from their side, so we had no doubts at all. I explained my story. And they were looking for people who would keep the house tidy.” It seemed like a perfect match, says Hofman. He also understood that they did not come to the Netherlands for the transfer. “They didn’t want to fly up and down all the time.”
Hofman has filed a report, but his case is not promising, thinks Tanya Wijngaarde of the Fraud Helpdesk. “If the perpetrator is caught and he still has the money, you may be able to get it back. But people should consider it lost,” the spokesperson said with regret. “It has a lot of impact, such a situation. If you are in a housing shortage, you really have a problem.”
The number of reports of this type of practice has been falling for several years in a row. In 2019, 383 declarations were made, in 2020 there were 271 and in 2021 only 211. This decrease is due to stricter checks on rental platforms, Wijngaarde explains. “For example, there is more intensive screening and users are provided with tips.” The practices are now moving to social media, according to Wijngaarde.
She also has tips for people who don’t trust an ad. “Check the photos on Google Image Search. The photos often come from ‘real’ sites, for example Funda. And go and have a look before you transfer money. Ring the bell, for example at the neighbors”, Wijngaarde concludes.
Hoffman is combative. “I want to warn people; do good research.” He doesn’t want other people to fall into the same trap. He thinks he lost the money. But that’s not his main concern. “I keep fighting for another home.”
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