Buying social housing or social building land

Buying social housing or social building land in Flanders? This is possible for people with modest incomes. How do you qualify? What are the steps to take and the costs?

Contents

• Where do I buy social housing or social building land?
• What are the conditions?
• Exceptions to the conditions
• What is the procedure?
• How much does social housing or social building land cost?
• What are my obligations after purchase?

1. Where do I buy social housing or social building land?

You buy social housing or social building land from the housing company. They offer these things:

• Social housing for sale
• Social building plots (lots)
• Medium-sized homes for sale
• Medium-sized building plots (lots)

2. What are the conditions?

• Age: You are at least 18 years old
• Property: You may not own property
• Income limits: Your income from the last known assessment notice for personal income tax must not be less than 11,337 euros and must fall within the following limits. Increased by 4,524 euros per dependent person.

• Income limits in these core cities and cities in the Flemish periphery: Increased by 4,739 euros per dependent person.

3. Exceptions to the conditions

3.1. Relatiebreuk

This exception applies if you and your current or former spouse, partner or de facto partner own or had a home or building lot in:

• Full ownership, usufruct, long lease or superficies.
• Have given full usufruct, long lease or superficies.

In this situation, your spouse, former spouse, partner or ex-partner may not be involved in the purchase of the social housing or building land, nor may he or she occupy the property (to be erected).

3.2. Kosteloze verkrijging

This exception applies when you or a family member via gift or inheritance:

• Acquired a home or building lot partially in full ownership, usufruct, long lease or superficies.
• Received a portion of the home or building land that is subject to a right of leasehold or superficies.

3.3. Overbewoonde woning

This exception applies if you or a family member owns a home that has been declared or advised as over-occupied. The property must have an indexed cadastral income of less than 2,000 euros.

3.4. Onbewoonbare woning

5. This exception applies when you or a family member has a home that has been declared or advised uninhabitable. Again, the property must have an indexed cadastral income of less than 2,000 euros.

3.5. Woning ligt in een zone waar wonen niet is toegelaten

This exception applies if you or a family member has a home located in a zone where housing is not allowed. The property must have an indexed cadastral income of less than 2,000 euros.

4. What is the procedure?

Buying social housing or social building land? Go through these 4 steps!

Step 1: Contact a housing company by phone and make an appointment

Step 2: Visit the housing company

And take away:

• Your most recent personal income tax assessment notice
• The documents on non-taxable income (e.g., health insurance, RVA, CPAS)
• The attestation on the composition of your family (available from the municipality)
• Possibly: certificates on child allowance, orphan allowance, severe disability of a family member
• Possibly: certificates about expropriation, declaration of unfitness or uninhabitability of your current home

Step 3: Enroll in the enrollment register at the housing company

Do you meet all the conditions? Then register in the registration register at the housing company. Registering yourself in several registers with different housing companies is allowed, but this will cost you about 50 euros per registration.

Step 4: Get allocated a social housing or social building plot

There is a chronological order: The housing company allocates homes and lots according to the order of registration. But there are certain priority rules:

• Applicants or family members with disabilities for which the home is adapted.
• Applicants living in a property that will be expropriated.
• Candidates with a sufficient connection to the congregation, such as:
  • Six years of continuous residence in the municipality or adjacent municipality.
  • Working at least half-time in the congregation.
  • A clear social, familial, social or economic connection to the municipality

To purchase an affordable home or building lot in the Flemish periphery around Brussels, turn to APB Vlabinvest.

5. How much does social housing or social building land cost?

Buy social housing or social building land? The cost of this is fairly limited, but not non-existent. The total cost depends on many factors such as:

• The selling price: Depending on the location, area and size of the home or lot.
• Taxes and fees:
  • Social housing for sale (new construction): Reduced VAT rate of 6% on top of sales price.
  • Social building land: Registration fees on top of the sales price.
  • Notary fees: Costs, duties and fees of the deed for both housing and building land.
• Financing: The loan you need to buy the social housing or social building land.

6. What are my obligations after purchase?

After purchase, there are obligations you must continue to meet, or else you must pay compensation or the sale will even be rescinded. This differs whether you bought social housing or social building land.

6.1. Sociale koopwoningen

• Occupancy requirement: You must occupy the home for no less than 20 years after purchase.
• Prohibition against renting: You may not rent out the property or surrender a right in rem.
• Death: If the owner dies, the heirs must continue to fulfill the obligations.
• Damages: Damages may be claimed for non-compliance with obligations.

6.2. Sociale bouwgronden

• Construction obligation: The house must be windproofed within 4 years.
• Dissolution sale: no construction activity within 4 years leads to dissolution.
• Compensation: For non-windproof home after 4 years, you pay annual compensation.

Sources: Flanders, Living in Limburg

Would you like to cite this article as a source? Then use:

Stiasteny, L. (2024, Oct. 1). Buying social housing or social building land. Apartment.be. Consulted on (date XX/XX/202X), from https://www.appartement.be/sociale-woning-of-sociale-bouwgrond-kopen/

Related articles:

• Registering for social housing: complete guide to quick housing offers
• Conditions for renting social housing under legislation