Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema has suggested that people wanting to buy property in some parts of the Dutch capital should go through a vetting process  before being allowed to do so, in an effort to stop criminals investing in real estate.

Halsema has now written to justice minister Dilan Yeşilgöz and housing minister Hugo de Jonge asking them to assess if licences to buy property can be introduced using current legislation.

Bar and cafe owners, for example, have to be vetted before they can get a licence to operate.

“In practice it is virtually impossible to stop criminals investing in real estate using the current legal instruments,” Halsema said. She has already called for similar moves on vetting to keep criminal cash out of the car rental sector.

The Parool says that the introduction of a licence could have a potential impact on everyone who wants to buy a house in a given area because they would all have to be vetted before a sale could go through.