The arrangements for the earthquake of Saturday 14 March were made by the State Secretary for Climate and Green Growth, the Commissie Mijnbouwschade, the body that deals with mining damage, and the gas producer NAM. The area where the earthquake may have caused damage has been divided into four rings around the epicentre, with boundaries set by the KNMI, the Dutch meteorological institute, on the basis of its measurements.
In rings 1 and 2, closest to the epicentre, the ground shook hardest and the chance of damage is also greatest. There the damage will be recorded and the commission will calculate the cost of repair, without investigating whether the damage was really caused by the earthquake. Compensation is limited to €10,000 in ring 1 and €7,000 in ring 2.
In rings 3 and 4, damage is much less likely, so fixed amounts will be paid there: €3,000 in ring 3 and €1,000 in ring 4. Central government still has to draw up that scheme, which is expected to come into force at the beginning of 2027.
In every ring, people who report damage can also opt for the normal procedure, in which the commission investigates whether the earthquake was the cause. According to the commission, the compensation may then turn out lower, because perhaps not all of the damage was caused by the earthquake.
Those who have already reported damage will receive an email before the end of July telling them which ring their home is in and how their report will be handled; they do not need to do anything themselves. For rings 1 and 2 the commission expects to start in September, and from then on it will schedule damage inspections. After the summer there will be an information meeting for residents of those two rings. Damage reported from 30 June onwards falls under the normal procedure, and reports can be made until 14 March 2027.
In recent months the municipalities and the province put forward proposals for a better scheme, but these were not adopted. Among other things, they wanted a contractor to carry out the repairs, an independent committee for disputes and a scheme for special cases. In their view, the arrangement may also leave residents in confusion and uncertainty once again. They are continuing to discuss it with central government.