1 November heralds a number of changes. People with an eBox will no longer receive traffic fines on paper. Pensions and benefits are going up and there are changes to the rent grant and rent subsidy systems.
No more paper fines for eBox users
The Belgian justice ministry will stop sending traffic fine documents on paper to citizens who have activated their eBox. The eBox is an electronic mailbox that allows users to receive official documents from government departments.
The eBox is free and secure, but not mandatory. In case of non-payment of a traffic fine received via eBox, reminders will be sent by post. The means of payment remain unchanged: via the website www.verkeersboetes.be, via the QR code or by bank transfer.
Increase in benefits and pensions
In October the health index that triggers increases in pensions, benefits, public sector wages and wages in some private sectors notched up a 2% increase since the last rise. This means benefits and pensions rise from November. Public sector wages go up 2 per cent in December.
However, many private sector workers will have to wait until 2024 to benefit from any increase in wages. Various factors determine when any increase is paid including the sector in which you work.
Rent grant and housing benefit changes
From today, there are changes to the rent grant and rent subsidy systems. The idea is to make an application easier, as almost half of those entitled to housing benefit do not apply for it.
The rent subsidy is there for people on modest incomes who move to a “suitable or adapted home” or to a property rented from a social housing office. The rent grant is a grant intended for those who have been on the social housingwaiting list for at least four years.
People applying for rent subsidy no longer have to register for social housing. Those who get a rent grant no longer have to prove that they reside in a compliant property. In the change now being implemented, it is immediately assumed that the tenant lives in a compliant dwelling.
Housing agency Living in Flanders will not conduct a conformity check on applications for a rent grant. If a property has already been declared unfit, uninhabitable or overcrowded at the time of your application, you will not receive a rent grant. In other cases, Living in Flanders assumes that the house is in order. You do not have to do anything yourself to get a rent grant. You will receive it automatically after four years on the waiting list.