2025 brings new housing changes to Flanders legislation for buyers, tenants and landlords. Discover all housing changes 2025 for Flanders.
Note: This information comes from the coalition agreement, but have not been formally confirmed to date. We will complete this article as soon as the coalition agreement is approved.
Housing changes 2025: For buyers
Registration fees from 3% to 2%
From Jan. 1, 2025, the registration fee for those who buy their own and only home will decrease from 3% to 2%.
Prerequisites:
- The date of execution of the authentic deed must be after Jan. 1, 2025.
- You must purchase the property as a natural person. And not through a corporation.
- You buy the property in full ownership or received it through a gift. The purchase may be total or partial. The reduced rate of 2% is valid only on the portion you purchased. The rate does not apply to houses in usufruct or bare ownership.
- It is your only real estate owned on the date of the notarization.
- You must register in the population register at the address of the property purchased within 3 years of the execution of the notarized purchase deed.
- Your notary must explicitly request this rate in the authentic deed of sale.
Renovation duty relaxation
The renovation requirement remains, but there are relaxations:
- After buying a home, you must reserve it to EPC label D within 6 years, instead of the previously provided 5 years.
- The tightening plan of EPC labels to always require all homes to renovate to a better EPC label in the coming years has been completely abolished.
Housing changes 2025: For tenants and landlords
Rent not indexed in case of poor EPC label
As a landlord, starting in the year 2028, you are no longer allowed to index the rent if your property does not meet certain EPC requirements. Thus, the Flemish government wants landlords to renovate their homes to be more energy efficient.
Tightening up social housing
Going to tighten conditions for social housing:
- One requires a higher language level of Dutch from social tenants.
- As a tenant with job potential, you must take a work readiness test with the VDAB.
- If you refuse to work as a tenant, you will have to pay a higher rent after two years.
Housing changes 2025: Financial support in Flanders
Flemish Housing Guarantee
The Flemish government envisions the Flemish Housing Guarantee for young Flemish people. First this was to start on January 1, 2025, but the Flemish Housing Guarantee is currently on hold. It is currently unknown when this guarantee will take effect.
Prerequisites:
- The property is for personal use.
- The purchase value of the property is up to 434,830 euros.
- You are a first-time buyer. In other words, you have never received a mortgage loan before.
- The guarantee period is up to the first 5 years of the mortgage loan term.
Flemish renovation aid
- My Renovation Premium to receive a premium for energy efficiency investments continues to run (e.g. heat pump purchase).
- My Rebuilding Loan to borrow up to 60,000 euros at a low interest rate remains.
Sources: Bakertilly, De Boer & Partners
Would you like to cite this article as a source? Then use:
Stiasteny, L. (2024, Oct. 29). Housing changes 2025: the legislation. Apartment.be. Consulted on (date XX/XX/202X), from https://www.appartement.be/woningveranderingen-2025-volgens-wetgeving/
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