Curaçao's SEHOS land saga reaches a contested, multi-million-guilder close, Bonaire moves to rein in tourist rentals, and Aruba's short-term rental market posts a strong July.
This week brought real movement across the ABC islands: Curaçao's long-running SEHOS land saga in Otrobanda reached a contested, multi-million-guilder conclusion, Dutch ministers confirmed Bonaire's island government already has the tools to curb the tourist rentals eating into its housing stock, and Aruba's short-term rental sector posted strong July numbers.
Three notarial deeds dated October 2 confirm the government paid Cg 9M for five parcels of the former SEHOS hospital site in Otrobanda, while developer HNO Vastgoed en Beheer paid Cg 4M for two more. It caps a messy chain: the bankruptcy curator sold the complex for Cg 10M to Otrabanda Village in June — even as the government says it had offered Cg 15M — which then flipped part of it six days later. Minister Charles Cooper says legal action is still on the table. (Curaçao.nu)
Answering written questions from MP Mikal Tseggai this month, Housing Minister Elanor Boekholt-O'Sullivan confirmed Bonaire's island government already has tools — a housing ordinance, project-level self-occupancy clauses, and stricter zoning enforcement — to stop homes leaving the local market for short-term rental, even without a blanket owner-occupancy rule. The Vishon Boneiru 2050 report puts roughly 600 Bonaire homes currently on rental platforms. (Dossier Koninkrijksrelaties)
A.T.A.'s Lighthouse-tracked data for July show 62% average occupancy, a $384 ADR, and about $36.7M in sector revenue for the month — a reminder of how much of the ABC housing conversation now runs through short-stay demand. (Government of Aruba)
RE/MAX BonBini expects mid- and high-end prices to climb 5–12% this year on structural land scarcity; the island-wide median asking price sits near €560,000 per Vastgoedjournaal. For buyers, it underlines that well-located, clean-tenure stock keeps its value. (RE/MAX BonBini)
Curaçao's government says it offered XCG 15 million for the SEHOS complex — and watched the bankruptcy curator sell it to someone else for XCG 10 million anyway.
The SEHOS saga is a good reminder that one site can hold parcels with very different tenure histories. Always confirm which parcel, which tenure type (eigendom/freehold vs. erfpacht/leasehold), the remaining lease term, and the annual canon before you buy.
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