Conditions for renting social housing under legislation

Do you stand a chance of renting a social house or apartment? Prepare well. Check here if you meet the conditions for a social housing rental. Effortlessly find your way to affordable, quality housing in Flanders.

Contents

Before you may register yourself to rent social housing in Flanders, you must meet the conditions below:

• Age conditions
• Income conditions
• Resource test
• Ownership conditions

Looking for how to register for social housing? Then read article Registering for a social housing rental.

1. Age conditions

• You are 18 years of age or older.
• You must be enrolled in the population or immigration registry.
• You are not included in the general protection statute with provisional custody as a basis.

Notice: Are you younger than 18? Then separate conditions apply to renting social housing: Read them under these terms.

2. Income conditions

One of the conditions of renting social housing is that you must fall within the income limit below. Depending on your family situation, your income maximum:

Your income is the sum of:

• joint taxable income.
• the separate taxable income.
• income replacement allowance (IVT).
• the living wage.
• tax-exempt professional income from abroad or from a European or international scaffolding.

Note: These special rules apply on the conditions of a social housing rental:

• Only the income of the prospective tenant and his/her partner or cohabitant counts. This person must co-occupy the property.
• The most recent income for which an assessment notice is available (max. 3 years old) counts.
• Incomes with assessments from different years can count, but you have to index the incomes to the current year.
• Was your income on your most recent assessment notice too high, but you earn less now? Then they look at your income in at least 3 of last last 6 months.
• Does your income exceed the income limit? Then they look at your current income.
• Are you in a collective debt arrangement, budget counseling or budget management? Then they look at your current disposable income.
• No one has an income? Then they look at your current income.

3. Resource test

As of January 1, 2024, the means test is a new enrollment and admission requirement for applicants. The housing company conducts this means test. It checks your assets in all your accounts. This is one of the conditions for renting social housing.

Exception: Incumbent tenants do not have to meet this test. Not even if he/she moves out.

Tip: Check your equity through the free and official website of The Central AnspeakPoint of accounts and financial contracts. Log veilig in via ItsMe en genereer de PDF. Met dit document bewijs je dat je aan de voorwaarde voldoet. Je hebt dit nodig bij de toewijzing van de sociale huurwoning.

Ownership conditions

You – as a prospective tenant and as a married/cohabiting partner – do not own all or part of a home or building lot:

• in full ownership, usufruct, leasehold or superficies at home or abroad.
• given in usufruct, leasehold or superficies at home or abroad.

Have you? Then you are required to inform your housing company. The housing company will require you to sell, donate away or exchange your home or building lot on short notice. The company chooses this deadline.

Don’t you do this? Then the housing company will terminate your lease. There is a 6-month notice period.

Notice: If you have contributed property or building land to a partnership as a manager, director or shareholder, you cannot register either.

Exceptions:

• Your home is not adapted to your physical disability.
• You have a disability and qualify for an ADL housing.
• You lose your home due to a collective debt settlement or bankruptcy.
• You own a property together with a (former) partner who will not co-occupy the property.
• You have a property in a spatial zone where you are not allowed to live (e.g., camping).
• Your home was declared uninhabitable or unfit no more than 2 months prior to your registration.
• You own a home or building land that you acquired partially free of charge (e.g., through inheritance or gift).

Do you meet the requirements for renting social housing? Then go to the next step and read our article with tips: Signing up for social housing rentals

Sources: Flemish Housing Fund, Flanders

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

Stiasteny, L. (2025, Jan. 20). Conditions for renting social housing. Apartment.com. Consulted on (date XX/XX/202X), from https://www.appartement.be/sociale-woning-huren-voorwaarden/

Related articles:

• Buying social housing or social building land
• Registering for social housing: complete guide to quick housing offers