WILLEMSTAD – Government spending on rented office space continues to rise, despite earlier policy goals to reduce housing costs, the General Audit Chamber of Curaçao reports.
Between 2022 and 2024, the number of rented buildings used by ministries increased from 42 to 46. Annual rental costs rose sharply, averaging nearly 14.7 million Caribbean guilders per year. In 2023 alone, rental expenses increased by more than 18 percent compared to the previous year. For 2025, rental costs are budgeted at approximately 16.6 million guilders.
The Audit Chamber notes that this trend directly contradicts the government’s stated objective of reducing housing-related expenses by 20 percent compared to 2020 levels. Ministries with the highest number of rented properties include Bestuur, Planning en Dienstverlening (BPD), Justice, Finance, and Social Development.
The report links the rising costs to extended rental periods, additional leased space, and indexation of rent prices, while pointing out that many government-owned buildings remain vacant and underutilized.