Vacant space manager expands in Germany

Camelot Property Management, a firm that specialises in protecting vacant space, has said it will open two new offices in Germany this year. The new locations will be in Hamburg and Düsseldorf, CEO Joost van Gestel told PropertyEU at the Provada real estate fair in Amsterdam this week.

Camelot was created 1993 in the Netherlands to offer property owners an alternative to having vacant properties occupied by squatters. In the last 15 years, the firm has expanded its range of management services for vacant properties and has opened offices in England, Wales, Ireland, Belgium and France.

The firm operates under the name Lancelot in France and Belgium.

Van Gestel revealed the expansion plans during a presentation about the new law which criminalises squatting and which is expected to come into force in the Netherlands on 1 October.

Commenting on reports that some municipalities may continue tolerating squatting of empty buildings, Liberal Party MP Brigitte van der Burg stressed that under the new law squatting will be a criminal offence in the Netherlands. 'The law will be enforced by the prosecutors' office, the police and the mayor,' she said.

Squatting, the MP said, is not a solution to long-term vacancy. The new law, on the other hand, will speed up the procedure to allow vacant office space to be assigned temporarily to other uses such as student accommodation. 'The legislation also provides for extra options to use buildings in a legal manner for company start-ups, artist studies and creative areas.'

The law, which has been approved by the parliament and senate, brings the situation in the Netherlands into line with other neighbouring countries, Van Gestel added.