NOS reports thousands of homes bought using mortgage fraud
A report not yet made public estimates that criminals used forged documents on a mass scale in recent years.
In the Netherlands, between 6,000 and 11,000 homes were bought using forged documents, according to a report not yet published. Insiders say the report has been with the Ministry of Justice and Security for more than six months, while banks and notaries are calling for better data checks.
The estimate appears in a study by the Financieel Expertise Centrum, a partnership of public and private organisations that investigates financial crime. The report has not yet been made public. As a result, the definitions used, the research period and the calculation method cannot be independently verified.
According to NOS, the issue concerns fraud in mortgage applications. Criminals are said to use forged payslips, employers’ statements, annual figures and tax returns, among other documents, to obtain financing. This financing can be used to buy properties without the applicant’s stated financial situation being accurate.
The homes may subsequently be used for money laundering, illegal letting, labour exploitation or other forms of undermining crime. Medy van der Laan, chair of the Nederlandse Vereniging van Banken, said this at a hearing of the Lower House (Tweede Kamer). She also warned of the consequences for liveability in neighbourhoods.
Banks and notaries want more options for checking income data. One important demand is that mortgage lenders and notaries should be able to verify with the Belastingdienst whether data in an application match the official records. According to the sector, this must take account of privacy and the legal basis for sharing data.
The police have been investigating mortgage fraud for some time. In a case in Amsterdam and the Zaanstreek, eight people were arrested in 2025 on suspicion of, among other things, fraud, forgery, money laundering and mortgage fraud. The suspects have not been convicted, and the investigation was still ongoing at the time.
The cabinet has previously acknowledged that the exchange of data between the police, the Belastingdienst and mortgage lenders is subject to legal restrictions. MPs are now calling for the FEC report and its recommendations to be made public. Until that happens, the estimate of 6,000 to 11,000 homes should be read as an unconfirmed research finding, not as an established national figure.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- A FEC report not yet published contains an estimate involving thousands of homes.
- The police and cabinet confirm that mortgage fraud and data sharing have been policy problems for some time.
- Banks and notaries want more options for checking income data.
Left
Arguments The government should intervene more quickly when property is used for exploitation and crime. Better checks should not be solely a matter for banks; victims and neighbourhoods must be protected.
Values Liveability, protection of vulnerable people and public responsibility.
Consequences More oversight and data sharing could limit fraud, but require strong safeguards against discrimination and unjustified exclusion.
Centre
Arguments Targeted verification of income data can be useful, but only with clear legal rules, independent oversight and an opportunity to appeal.
Values A balance between combating fraud, privacy and reliable lending.
Consequences A carefully designed system could strengthen the sector, but implementation takes time and will not immediately resolve existing cases.
Right
Arguments Mortgage fraud undermines the housing market and must be tackled with strict checks, rapid data sharing and severe penalties for professional facilitators.
Values Property ownership, market integrity and enforcement.
Consequences Stricter checks could deter criminals, but also impose extra administration and longer procedures on bona fide applicants.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The fraud practice described and the political questions surrounding it have been confirmed by public sources. The estimate of its scale cannot be independently checked while the FEC report remains unpublished.
- uncertain The FEC report estimates that between 6,000 and 11,000 homes were bought using forged documents. — NOS reports this on the basis of an unpublished report and information from insiders. source
- confirmed In mortgage fraud, payslips and employers’ statements, among other documents, are forged. — This is described by NOS and in earlier police investigations. source
- confirmed Mortgage fraud can be connected with money laundering and other forms of undermining crime. — The police and the Nederlandse Vereniging van Banken describe this connection. source
- confirmed The cabinet is investigating options for better data sharing. — This is stated in the answers to parliamentary questions from February 2026. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: In the Netherlands, between 6,000 and 11,000 homes were bought using forged documents in recent years.Now: According to an FEC report not yet published, between 6,000 and 11,000 homes may have been bought using forged documents in recent years. (The underlying estimate is not public and therefore cannot be presented as an established figure.)
Editor's note
The central estimate comes from a report not yet made public, which NOS describes through insiders. Police and cabinet sources confirm that mortgage fraud is an existing problem, but not the national estimate of 6,000 to 11,000 homes.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „hypotheekfraude woningmarkt”
- de Volkskrant — „hypotheekfraude woningmarkt”
- RTL Nieuws — „hypotheekfraude woningmarkt”