The subsidy for monumental residences in the Caribbean Netherlands is intended for private owners of monuments that serve a residential (housing) purpose on Bonaire, Saba and St Eustatius.
Is my property a monument?
A monument is a building that is more than 50 years old and is considered to be of public interest because of its beauty, artistic value, significance to science or the country’s history, or for its cultural anthropology value. Both protected and non-protected monuments are eligible for this subsidy scheme. A monument is considered protected if it is listed in a register of monuments maintained by the public body. There are protected monuments on Bonaire and St Eustatius. The public body on Saba is currently working on instituting a register of monuments.
In addition to the protected monuments, there are also many monuments on the islands that are not yet listed, but may be eligible to achieve protected status. To avoid dilapidation of these monuments, they are also eligible for this scheme. Not every building that is more than 50 years old is by definition a monument. To qualify, it must also have historic significance. The executive council of the applicable public body decides whether the building is in fact considered a monument. If it is, that will be confirmed by the executive council on a form enclosed as an annex to the subsidy application. For more information, see the page on preparing a subsidy application.
Since the budget for the subsidy scheme is limited, allocation criteria have been defined that determine the ranking of the subsidy applications in allocating the budget. In determining the ranking, it is relevant whether or not the monument is protected. However, whether the monument is situated in a protected city or village preservation area also plays a role. More information about the budget allocation criteria is available on the page about how the available budget is allocated.
Private owner and residential purpose
To be considered for subsidy, the building must have a private owner. A private owner is a natural person who has the right of ownership or another right in rem to the protected or non-protected monument. Monuments owned by legal entities, such as private limited companies, public limited companies and foundations, are not eligible for this subsidy scheme.
Beyond that, the subsidy scheme is exclusively intended for monuments that serve a residential purpose. This means that the monument is being used for permanent residential occupation.
On a form enclosed as an annex to the subsidy application, the executive council of the relevant island must confirm that these two conditions are met. For more information, see the page on preparing a subsidy application.