Prospective tenants who wish to apply for social housing must now do so via a new registration tool. This also applies to those already on waiting list.
Registering for social housing must now be done online via a central register. Prospective tenants must register once and that includes those already on a waiting list, who must reconfirm their existing application within a month if they wish to keep their place on the waiting list. It’s a more transparent system, but with the necessary hurdles for people unfamiliar with digital applications.
Do you want to stay on the waiting list for social housing? Then you have to reconfirm your application via the central register. This must be done within the month. Prospective tenants must register online. This digital system should make it easier for all prospective tenants to manage their file online.
"In the past, each housing company had its own registration system and it was difficult to keep an overview. Sometimes candidate tenants were registered several times, for example," explains housing minister Matthias Diependaele (Flemish nationalist/N-VA).
"The new tool makes it easier for housing companies to form a picture of needs and it is also easier for prospective tenants to monitor their place on the waiting list."
The new application tool does pose a challenge, says Gert Eyckmans of Initia, the association of Flemish Housing Companies. "Not only the central register, but also the updating requires a lot of extra work. Everyone who is already registered also has to check their details."
Who is eligible for social housing?
As a prospective tenant, you have to meet a lot of conditions. That list of conditions is long, and only gets longer. All the conditions can be found on the Flemish government's website, but broadly speaking it boils down to this:
You have to be 18 years old. If you are younger, you have to live independently or no longer be under the supervision of a guardian.
You need to be registered in the population register. That includes non-Belgians, who need to be registered in the foreigners’ register.
You cannot own a home or building land, either in Belgium or abroad. However, there are some exceptions, such as if your home has been declared uninhabitable.
If you have accumulated wealth equal to what you are allowed to earn per year to be entitled to social housing, you will be refused.
Social tenants must also meet numerous obligations once they become social renters. For instance, you must be able to prove that you speak Dutch, register with the VDAB if you are unemployed and must immediately report any changes in your family composition or income to the social landlord.