Early Detection of Financial Difficulties
In the Netherlands, 1 in 5 households has trouble paying all their bills each month, and 1 in 12 households has serious payment problems. Many people with financial concerns do not seek help—or do so too late—to set up a payment plan or receive assistance. Yet prompt assistance with payment problems can prevent a great deal of stress and anxiety.
That is why the municipality of Moerdijk has a team of staff members dedicated to helping residents at risk of financial difficulties. We call this team “Vroeg Eropaf.”
What Is Early Detection?
Sometimes it’s not possible to pay your bills on time. The organization with which you have an outstanding balance (landlord, health insurance provider, utility company) will then report this to the municipality. They are permitted to do so by law. This allows the municipality to help you with financial difficulties as early as possible.
How can Team Vroeg Eropaf help you?
As soon as the municipality learns that you have an unpaid bill, you will receive a notification from Team Vroeg Eropaf. This may be a letter, an email, a text message, or a phone call. In some cases, a staff member will visit you at home.
This allows us to review your financial situation with you and determine whether you may be eligible for certain benefits or other assistance programs. In some cases, payments can be made in installments. And you may need other types of assistance. The goal is to address payment delays early on, prevent debt as much as possible, and work toward a sustainable financial solution.
The assistance is free, and there are no strings attached!
What can I do on my own?
Of course, you can also contact the organization that sent you the unpaid bill directly. Perhaps you can work out a solution together.
Would you prefer to contact them with someone from our team? If so, please email vroegeropaf@moerdijk.nl. We’ll work with you to find the right solution.
Financial worries?
Has the Vroeg Eropaf team not contacted you? If not, you can also reach out to them yourself. For example, if you have financial concerns, questions about finances, or (problematic) debt.
Please contact us:
Team Vroeg Eropaf
You can call us at 14 0168.
Or you can send an email to: vroegeropaf@moerdijk.nl
Would you like to learn more about Debt Counseling / Early Detection? Then watch the explanatory video below.
Privacy
Early detection and debt counseling are statutory responsibilities of municipalities. The processing of personal data is necessary to provide timely assistance to residents at risk of financial difficulties.
Landlords, health insurers, and energy and water utilities report payment arrears through a highly secure database. They share only the following information with the municipality:
- Personal data necessary to identify and contact the resident (name, date of birth, street + house number, ZIP code, city, and, if applicable, email address and phone number).
- The amount and duration of the payment arrears.
Only the employees of Team Vroeg Eropaf have access to the personal data.
When you are offered assistance, you decide for yourself whether you want it or not. If you do not accept the assistance, the staff member will notify the organizations that reported the arrears. The assistance will then be discontinued. We do not use your personal information for any other purpose. After one year, it will be automatically destroyed.
If you don't want the municipality to receive information about your overdue payments, please notify your landlords, health insurance providers, and energy and water utilities.
Would you like to know how we handle your privacy or exercise your privacy rights? If so, please visit the municipality’s privacy policy.