The Central Netherlands court in Utrecht often sees people with debts appear at a hearing and forcing them to pay is not always a solution to the problems. That is why so-called debt officers are deployed who can help this group.
According to Pauline Elferink of the Central Netherlands court, a large group of Dutch people are dealing with debts. “We see these people in court again and again. Repeatedly ordering people with debts to pay claims does not contribute to solving the problems.”
According to Elferink, it is more effective to see how these people can be helped further. “That is why we will refer litigants to debt counseling if they are open to it.”
This is done by so-called debt officers, trained employees who can be summoned by the judge. They can also attend a hearing in which, for example, a case involving someone with payment arrears is being dealt with.
Local authority
This employee will then talk to the person, record the information and share it with the municipality where the person lives. The municipality will contact you to start debt assistance.
“I hope that with our debt officers we can contribute somewhat to combating the debt problem in our region,” says Elferink. “The purpose of deploying debt officers is to ensure that people with debts are seen and heard sooner, so that a suitable solution can be worked on more quickly.”
These debt officers are already working in other courts in the Netherlands and in these places it appears that the problems are seen earlier.
