Government pays XCG 14.59 million annually in rent for buildings, office spaces

GREAT BAY--The Government of St. Maarten has budgeted approximately XCG 14.59 million for building rentals in 2026, a slight decrease from the XCG 14.84 million budgeted in 2025, according to figures contained in the draft 2026 budget.

The consolidated budget shows rental costs for buildings, spaces and management facilities declining from XCG 14,835,051 in 2025 to XCG 14,587,191 in 2026, a reduction of XCG 247,860, or 1.67 percent. The Government Building alone exceeds XCG 6.3 million annually.

A separate appendix to the draft budget detailing government's rental agreements identifies 36 rented locations and gives a combined monthly rental bill of XCG 1,215,599.25, which corresponds with the annual budgeted amount of XCG 14,587,191. While the overall rental bill is slightly lower than in 2025, the documents provides a detailed look at where government's rental expenditure is concentrated and which properties account for the largest costs.

General Affairs carries the largest share of the listed rental bill, with eight rented properties totaling approximately XCG 596,071.66 per month, or about XCG 7.15 million annually based on the monthly amounts listed.

The largest single rental arrangement is the New Government Building on Pond Island, which the budget identifies as being owned by SZV. The monthly rent is listed at US$293,220.59, equivalent to XCG 527,797.06, representing approximately XCG 6.33 million annually.

The New Government Building alone therefore accounts for more than 43 percent of the total monthly government rental bill listed in the appendix.

Other properties under General Affairs include the Fish Market/Public Service Center, JOBCO Building/DCOMM, Julliete Building/Huurcommissie, Electoral Council offices and several rented spaces in the Brown Building.

The Ministry of Justice has the largest number of rented locations, with 12 properties listed at a combined monthly cost of approximately XCG 175,435.71, equivalent to more than XCG 2.1 million annually.

Justice's rental portfolio includes archive storage, immigration facilities, the Court of Guardianship, the Deltonice Building, Landrecherche offices, office space for the Minister of Justice and police stations in Cole Bay and Maho.

The Ministry of Finance has two rented properties listed at a combined monthly cost of approximately XCG 136,491.82, or about XCG 1.64 million annually. The larger of the two is the Vineyard Building housing the Tax Office, with monthly rent listed at XCG 123,891.82.

The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, VSA, has six listed rented locations totaling approximately XCG 127,289.81 per month, or more than XCG 1.52 million annually. These include the Vineyard Building Social Health Center and Baby Clinic, Hygienische Zaken en Inspectie, CPS and community helpdesks in Dutch Quarter, St. Peters and Cole Bay.

The Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication, TEATT, has five rented locations listed at approximately XCG 121,189.22 per month, equivalent to roughly XCG 1.45 million annually. These include the Tourist Office, Economic Licenses, Civil Aviation and Meteorological offices and office space in the Cruise Terminal Building.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, ECYS, has three listed rental locations totaling approximately XCG 59,121.04 monthly, or about XCG 709,452 annually.

The rental overview also shows that a significant share of government's rental expenditure is concentrated among a small number of landlords.

After SZV, which is listed as receiving XCG 527,797.06 monthly for the New Government Building, Vineyard Office Park N.V. has the largest combined rental amount among the landlords appearing multiple times in the appendix.

Vineyard Office Park N.V. is identified as landlord for five government locations, including the Tax Office, Court of Guardianship, Social Health Center and Baby Clinic, Hygienische Zaken en Inspectie and CPS. The combined listed rents for those locations amount to approximately XCG 262,161.63 per month, or about XCG 3.15 million annually.

Together, the rental payments associated with SZV and Vineyard Office Park N.V. account for approximately 65 percent of the total monthly rental expenditure listed in the appendix.

Other significant rental arrangements include the Tourist Office from EFB Properties at XCG 48,606.87 monthly, Civil Aviation/MET office space from Souha Chahin at XCG 36,900 monthly, Landrecherche offices from Jaijo Enterprises B.V. at XCG 28,800 monthly, and the Deltonice Building at XCG 28,480 monthly.

The rental appendix forms part of the supporting schedules to the draft 2026 budget and provides the names of government buildings, addresses, locations, owners and rental amounts.

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