Dutch mortgage fraud report estimates 6,000 to 11,000 purchases

An unpublished study estimates thousands of purchases used false documents, while banks warn about criminal use of homes.

An unpublished Dutch mortgage fraud report estimates that buyers used false documents to purchase 6,000 to 11,000 homes. The estimate covers several recent years. Meanwhile, banks warn that criminals use homes acquired through fraud for illegal activities.

NOS, the Dutch public broadcaster, reported the findings from the unpublished study. Insiders told the broadcaster that the justice ministry has held the report for more than six months. However, the findings have not yet reached the public through publication of the report itself.

The previous cabinet commissioned the Financieel Expertise Centrum, the body that prepared the report, to investigate mortgage fraud. The estimate raises questions about checks on loan applications and the use of homes after purchase.

False paperwork behind mortgage applications

Fraudulent applications can include fake pay slips, employer statements, annual accounts or tax returns.

Still, the estimate needs careful reading. It describes home purchases over several years, not an annual total. Nor does it establish that every property acquired with false documents later housed criminal activity.

The public account also leaves questions about the study’s scope. Readers cannot check its full methods while the report remains unpublished. In particular, the available details do not explain the precise period covered or how investigators calculated the range.

Banks warn about criminal use of homes

Medy van der Laan, chair of the Nederlandse Vereniging van Banken, the Dutch banking association, warned MPs about mortgage fraud.

Van der Laan said: “Hypotheekfraude vindt in toenemende mate plaats”.

She spoke at a hearing in the Tweede Kamer, the Dutch lower house of parliament. The hearing concerned crime that weakens lawful institutions. Her warning linked false mortgage applications to what happens inside properties after their purchase.

Van der Laan said criminals use homes acquired through fraud for money laundering, illegal rentals, labour exploitation and drug crime. Those uses explain why the issue extends beyond a lender’s financial risk. However, her warning does not mean every suspect application involves each of these activities.

For neighbours, the concern centres on how people use a property. A mortgage application may look like a private matter between borrower and bank. Yet illegal activity inside a home can affect people living nearby, particularly where exploitation or drug crime occurs.

What publication could clarify

Insiders say the Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid, the Dutch justice and security ministry, has held the findings for months. That makes publication an important next step for understanding the estimate. However, the supplied account gives no publication date or timetable for a government response.

The full report could explain how investigators identified purchases involving false documents. It could also show which years the estimate covers. Until those details become public, readers should treat the range as an estimate rather than a confirmed count.

For now, the central distinction is straightforward. The study concerns documents used to obtain mortgages, while the banking association also warns about criminal use of properties. Clearer evidence would help readers understand where those two concerns overlap.