An Antwerp real estate company regularly deploys a group of men to beat up tenants who are not paying their rent, according to an investigation by Het Laatste Nieuws. The company, however, denies the claims.
It reportedly concerns the Antwerp real estate company Winvest Holding, the parent company behind the Made real estate agency. The company already came into disrepute last year, when dozens of buyers sounded the alarm because they discovered hidden defects in their properties.
According to new reports by Het Laatste Nieuws, which was able to view dozens of messages, Winvest allegedly sends external parties to violently evict tenants who have not paid for months, which happens frequently: there are threats, but also beatings.
The newspaper published screenshots of WhatsApp messages such as "Get that man and take his stuff, he has to go out!!! Doesn't matter how" but also "Hey, could you please get all squatters out of this building? €300 per apartment. Just get everyone out."
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Based on these messages and several voice memos, the newspaper reports that the company was certainly aware of what was going on. The violence often even happened at the company's request. The gang also reported its work to the company and even sent videos of the beatings.
In a written response from Winvest's lawyer, the company said that this concerned a one-off incident. They explained how, in the past, Winvest commissioned an external party to prepare an apartment occupied by squatters for renovation.
They added that this got out of hand, after which the company immediately stopped cooperating with the external party. Additionally, the company said it never explicitly ordered the use of force, and always invites non-paying tenants to their office to find an amicable settlement. If this fails, the situation is settled through legal proceedings.
