The case in summary: The association, now called Huset på Eg, was to start the country’s first children’s hospice. It owes Kristiansand municipality NOK 1.2 million in unpaid rent. The association risks being thrown out of the building, and the municipality warns that unpaid rent may be collected. Chairman of the association, Knut Johannessen, believes they have every right to own the house and can stop the eviction process by paying the rent. The association also owes the Norwegian Directorate of Health NOK 6.5 million in unused funds, and this claim has been sent for compulsory collection. Kristiansand Næringsforening (Knas) has sent a petition for deviation, which means they want to evict the tenant. Agder County Municipality is now most relevant as the building’s new tenant. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – It is completely absurd to witness. We are sitting with a squatter in Kristiansand municipality, says Jannike Arnesen (Ap). The group leader reacts to the fact that the association that rents the building that was to become the country’s first children’s hospice owes the municipality NOK 1.2 million in unpaid rent for the first quarter of this year. On Wednesday, Kristiansand Næringsselskap (KNAS) briefed the board on what plans they have for the building at Eg, which is still empty and unused. Photo: Heidi Ditlefsen / news The claim has now been sent for enforcement and the association risks being kicked out. Chairman of the association Huset på Eg, Knut Johannessen, believes that the use of language by the Ap politician is very unfortunate. – It is a completely meaningless claim. The association is fully entitled to own the house and can at any time interrupt the process that has been initiated by paying rent, he says. Johannessen then refers to the process of throwing them out of the building. – Wants to settle The chairman says the association wants to settle all legitimate claims that exist. He explains the non-payment of rent by the fact that the children’s hospice was promised government subsidies for five years. These were stopped by the government after three years just before the offer was due to open in January 2023. Since then the brand new building has stood empty. Chairman Knut Johannessen in Huset på Eg says they want to make amends. Photographed here on a previous occasion in Huset på Eg. Photo: Heidi Ditlefsen / news – It is an extremely irresponsible way to act. When the association no longer has a subsidy from the state, it also has no ability to pay rent, says Johannessen. See the full response from the chairman further down in the matter. Can be thrown out of the building They used to be called the Association for Children’s Palliation (FFB), but recently changed their name to Huset på Eg. Chairman Johannessen is currently the only one in the association who is working to get a new offer in place in the building. The plan for the past year has been to sublet it. Last week, Kristiansand Næringsforening (KNAS) sent a so-called petition for exemption. That means they want to evict the tenant. The date for this is 20 March, i.e. in two weeks. Jan Omli Larsen in Kristiansand Næringsselskap says that they have sent two reminders and a collection notice to the association. – In a few days, the bill for the next quarter is also due, he says. Photo: Heidi Ditlefsen / news General manager Jan Omli Larsen of KNAS gave the chairmanship in Kristiansand a briefing on the status of Huset på Eg on Wednesday. – We do not want to rent to a tenant who has no other purpose than to be a sub-tenant, i.e. to rent to others, said Larsen. Jannike Arnesen (Ap) – Now the case is with Knas and we will see if it returns to political consideration. We want to end this case as soon as possible and now there are political signals that the county council may be interested. Mathias Bernander (H), mayor – As it is now, it is a waste of public funds and it is terribly sad. We want to use the house for good purposes. It is a good building with a good standard. We have our full confidence that Knas is working to get the association out of the building so that we can start the process. Svein Harald Mosvold Knutsen (Pp) – The fact that the house is empty is connected to the fact that the association has not received the grants it should . The municipality must learn from this. Here we are talking about public funds of up to one hundred million. We think it is disrespectful to the citizens who have paid taxes and fees. The District Attorney: Hope they reach an agreement The association also owes the Norwegian Directorate of Health NOK 6.5 million. This concerns money that was originally supposed to go to the children’s hospice, but which remains unused because nothing came of it. The money has not been paid back despite repeated reminders. Elise Husum, department director for grants at the Norwegian Directorate of Health, confirms that this money claim has now been sent to the Customs Enforcement Officer for enforcement. Department director in the Norwegian Directorate of Health, Elise Husum, has sent a monetary claim of NOK 6.5 million to Foreningen Huset på Eg. Photo: Directorate of Health – The claim was sent to the Norwegian Tax Authorities on 26 February, says Husum. She does not wish to comment further on the matter as it is now under consideration. The public prosecutor in Agder, Anita Andrå Andersen, confirms to news that they have received cases from both the Directorate of Health and KNAS. – When it comes to the rent requirement, we hope that it will be sorted out before we have to carry out a compulsory deviation. It is always nice if the parties manage and agree in advance, says Andersen. The bailiff in Agder, Anita Andrå Andersen, says she hopes the parties will reach an agreement before they come to the door on March 20. Photo: Miriam Grov Larsen in Kristiansand Næringsselskap says they have had a dialogue with several relevant tenants, but that it is now Agder county municipality that is most relevant. It is then about the SMI school. They offer education to students who have had an uneventful start to school due to illness or other factors. – It is a good purpose. They have looked at the building and it is well suited for them, says Larsen. This is answered by chairman Knut Johannessen Why haven’t you paid the outstanding rent to Knas of 1.2 million? – This project was promised government grants over five years. The lease agreement with KNAS was entered into under this assumption. But Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol and the government cut the support just before the offer was to open. It is an extremely irresponsible way to act. The minister himself stood on the construction site and wished good luck for the summer of 2022 shortly before the offer was due to open. When the association no longer has a grant from the state, it also has no ability to pay rent. It is then natural that the guarantee that Kristiansand municipality has given the home owner is activated. We want a dialogue with the municipality about this. It is both cheaper and easier to solve this type of question over a cup of coffee rather than threatening eviction. What is the plan for Foreningen Huset på Eg in the future? – For us, this is still about 4,000 seriously ill children and their families who have not yet received the offer they were promised. In addition, we have expanded the target group to include families in crisis, regardless of the cause, so that even more families can receive an offer in the house, and the societal benefit can be greater. We want to find an amicable solution with the municipality and KNAS that safeguards the interests of all parties. We believe that people should come together to hold the state responsible for the fact that the state has unilaterally withdrawn from the project, and neglected the municipality and the association. The Norwegian Directorate of Health has also sent a claim to you for approximately NOK 6.5 million (unspent funds) to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. What is your comment on this? – We cannot favor individual creditors. Therefore, we depend on a solution both with the state and with the home owner. We are allowed to cover ongoing operations. Are you thinking of paying this money in? The association wishes to settle all legitimate claims that exist. But we are unsure whether this demand is legitimate. At the same time, it goes without saying that without income, we are not able to pay everything at once. We have wanted a dialogue with the directorate, but they have refused to have a meeting with us. We believe this is a breach of the Public Administration Act. Hello! Did you think of anything in particular when you read this story or have any tips for something else I should write about? Feel free to send me an email!
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Kristiansand municipality demands 1.2 million in unpaid rent from association – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
