What do investors own in a Kemmerling Investments deal?

An undivided share of the apartment itself, registered in the investor's name at the Aruban land registry. No fund and no company in between. A co-ownership agreement sets the payouts, the manager's role, the lock-up and the exit. The first 8% per year goes to investors; above that Diederik Kemmerling earns 20% of the extra. He holds 10 to 20% himself and is paid out last.

How is an Aruba real estate investment taxed for Dutch investors?

For most Dutch private investors a share in foreign real estate falls in box 3, with Aruban property tax settled locally. Investors should confirm with their tax adviser; each deal memo includes the documents needed.

What if an investor needs out early?

Minimum term is three years. After that, the share can be sold back to Diederik Kemmerling at book value, or held until the apartment is sold. Before year three a transfer to another circle member is possible with approval.

Can residents of Aruba invest?

No. Kemmerling Investments is offered to investors outside Aruba only, with Dutch residents as the core of the circle.

Invest in Aruba real estate, with me

Portfolio

WHAT I BUILD AND OWN.

Aruba · Property management

ARUBARENTAL.COM

My vacation rental management company on Aruba, active at Palm Beach, Eagle Beach and Gold Coast. Dynamic pricing, guest communication, cleaning, maintenance and direct bookings, all in-house. The scorecard: 9.7 on Booking.com across 143 reviews, 4.93 and Guest Favourite on Airbnb, five unbroken years as Superhost. Every apartment in the circle is run here, so the numbers in the deal memo come from the same team that answers the guests.

Medellín · Hospitality

LANDMARK BOUTIQUE HOTEL

An 85-room boutique hotel in the heart of El Poblado, the neighbourhood every visitor to Medellín wants to stay in. Rooftop pool with panoramic city views, full-service spa, two restaurants, terrace bar and gym. Rated 4.8 on Google, 9.2 on Booking.com and 9.8 on Expedia. I am a shareholder; The Lab runs its marketing and direct bookings. For the circle this is the second asset class next to apartments: bigger tickets, longer horizon, a professional operator on site.

Curaçao · Real estate

COLDWELL BANKER CURAÇAO

Shareholder since 2025 in the Coldwell Banker franchise on Curaçao, office in Pietermaai, part of a network of 2,900 offices in 41 countries with the Global Luxury programme for the top of the market. Residential, commercial and investment property up to $20 million. For the circle it means two things: deal flow across the islands before it hits the market, and a professional valuation and exit route for every property we buy.

Aruba and Medellín · Vacation rentals

VACATION RENTAL PROPERTIES

Eight apartments today: six on Aruba at Palm Beach, Eagle Beach and Gold Coast, two in Medellín. Bought for yield, furnished for guests, run by ArubaRental, marketed by The Lab. Net rental yields to date between 7% and 26% per unit, property value excluded, with the numbers per unit per year in the deal memo. This is what most circle deals will look like: one apartment, registered co-owners, rent shared pro rata.

Aruba, Curaçao, Colombia · Marketing

THE LAB

The marketing engine behind every property in the circle. Founded in 2012, 22 colleagues across three offices in Aruba, Curaçao and Colombia, working for 120+ companies in the Caribbean, among them McDonald's, Marriott, Hilton, Iberostar and Digicel. Google Premier Partner, a status held by the top 3% of agencies worldwide, with more than $23 million in Google Ads managed over ten years. For our apartments and the hotel that means direct-booking websites, Google and Meta campaigns, listings and reviews run by specialists. Higher occupancy, more direct bookings, fewer platform fees than an owner can get alone.

Featured unit

THE COVE, PALM BEACH.

Modern condo in the middle of Palm Beach, steps from the beach, restaurants and hotels. Managed by ArubaRental, marketed by The Lab, booked year-round by guests who pay to be exactly here.

26%

net yield to date, rental income only

$11,200

what a $50k share would have paid you per year at that yield, after my carry. That is 22.4% on your money.

Worked on actual figures to date, not a projection. Past results are no guarantee of future returns. Full numbers in the deal memo.

Why I do this

I CAME TO ARUBA WITH NOTHING BUT A LAPTOP.

In 2012 I landed on Aruba without a network and built The Lab into the biggest digital agency in the Dutch Caribbean. Along the way I started buying apartments on the island and running them for guests. Friends kept asking the same question: how do I get a piece of this without buying a whole condo and learning a foreign market? This page is my answer. Same apartments, same team, same numbers I use for my own money.

Diederik KemmerlingFounder The Lab, President Aruba Chamber of Commerce, author of Built for Performance

How it works

ONE APARTMENT. YOUR NAME ON THE DEED. SHARED PRO RATA.

WHAT YOU GET

Real ownership. A registered share of the apartment itself, in your name at the Aruban land registry, passed by the notary. No company in between.

The first 8% every year is yours. Above 8%, you keep 80% of the extra.

You get paid before I do. My own 10 to 20% share is paid out last.

Money every quarter. Rent paid out four times a year. Written update every month. Accounts every year.

A clear way out. Sell your share back to me at book value after year three, or hold and take your part of the sale.

WHAT I EARN

20% of gross rent for running the apartment through ArubaRental: guests, pricing, cleaning, maintenance.

20% of the profit above your 8%. The only performance fee.

Nothing else. No acquisition fee. No fee on your capital. No exit fee.

On $100k: a 6% year pays you $6,000 and me $0. A 15% year pays you $13,600 and me $1,400.

Every deal comes with a two-page memo: price, rent history, costs, notary and transfer costs, my share, your share.

Two ways in

INVESTOR CIRCLE

$50kand up, per deal

Private, by application, deal by deal

You pick the deals you join. Deal memo by email, never public

One apartment per deal. Your share registered in your name at the land registry

The first 8% every year is yours, before I earn anything on top

Quarterly payouts, monthly update, annual accounts, exit stated up front

Apply to the circle

PARTNER

€100kand up

For investors who want a seat at the table

First look at every deal, including hotel and development projects

Direct line to me, quarterly call

Co-investment terms agreed one on one

Talk to Diederik

Let op! U belegt buiten AFM-toezicht. Geen vergunningplicht voor deze activiteit.

How a deal runs

Apply

Two minutes, the form below.

We talk

A call with me within a week. If it fits, you are in the circle.

Deal memo

Two pages by email: the unit, the price, the rent history, my share, your share.

Sign at the notary

Co-ownership agreement and one deed for all owners. Your share is registered in your name.

We run it

ArubaRental takes the guests, The Lab takes the marketing. You get a written update every month.

You get paid

First payout after the first full quarter, then every quarter. Annual accounts every year.

Risks: vacancy, hurricanes, currency, and you cannot sell overnight. Read the memo before you commit. Not offered to residents of Aruba. Past results are no guarantee of future returns. Nothing on this page is a return projection.

Questions

WHAT INVESTORS ASK ME FIRST.

Can foreigners buy property in Aruba?

Yes. Aruba has no restrictions on foreign ownership of real estate. Americans, Dutch and other nationalities can buy freehold or long-lease land and condos outright. In the circle you buy a registered share of the apartment together with me, through the Aruban notary, so your name is on the deed.

Is Aruba a good place to invest in real estate?

Aruba has the highest repeat-visitor rate in the Caribbean, a US-dollar-pegged currency, political stability inside the Kingdom of the Netherlands and lies outside the hurricane belt. Vacation rentals near Palm Beach and Eagle Beach rent year-round. My own units have returned 7 to 26% net per year on rental income. Property value and appreciation come on top and are not counted in those numbers.

How much does a condo in Aruba cost?

A one-bedroom condo in a gated community near Palm Beach or Eagle Beach typically sells between $250,000 and $400,000, two-bedrooms from around $400,000. With a $50k ticket you own a registered share of one of these instead of the whole thing.

What exactly do I own?

An undivided share of the apartment itself, registered in your name at the Aruban land registry. No fund, no company in between. A co-ownership agreement between all owners sets the payouts, my role, the lock-up and the exit.

How do I get paid and in which currency?

Quarterly, by bank transfer, after the first full quarter. Aruba income is in US dollars; the Aruban florin is pegged to the dollar. Medellín income is in Colombian pesos and is converted at payout.

How is this taxed in the Netherlands?

For most Dutch private investors a share in foreign real estate falls in box 3, with the Aruban property tax settled locally. I am not your tax adviser; every deal memo comes with the documents your adviser needs to give you a straight answer.

What happens in a bad year?

Rent is paid out after costs, so a slow quarter means a smaller payout, not a call for more money. Every unit is insured. The 8% preferred return is cumulative: what you did not get this year is owed to you first next year, before I earn anything.

What if I need out early?

Minimum term is three years. After that you can sell your share back to me at book value, or hold and take your part when the apartment is sold. Before year three, a transfer to another circle member is possible with my approval. Notary and transfer costs at exit are in the memo.

How many investors are in one deal?

Typically four to six. Tickets start at $50,000 and I hold 10 to 20% myself, paid out last.

Can I invest if I live on Aruba?

No. This is offered to investors outside Aruba only. Dutch residents are the core of the circle.

Read a sample deal memo (PDF)

Two pages, illustrative numbers, so you know what lands in your inbox before you apply.

INVEST IN ARUBA REAL ESTATE. OWN A PIECE, WITH ME.