Thousands of people are struggling to find accommodation, and there are also thousands of vacant buildings. In the Brussels Region, attempts are being made to improve access by “forcing” landlords to put vacant homes on the market. It is not an easy option to implement. The court is considering direct intervention after last October it forced an owner to get rid of one of its buildings that had been abandoned and decaying for years. This is an unprecedented situation and could open new perspectives on the housing issue at the European level, including in Italy, where there are around ten million uninhabited homes. This figure is partly due to demographic decline and depopulation in the Apennine and Alpine regions, but on the other hand there are also speculative reasons specific to large urban centres.
Empty and worn house
The story begins in the Anneseens neighborhood, which is a short walk from the center but is less “appetizing” in terms of layout than other neighborhoods. Our hero is an estate in advanced decay, whose access is blocked for security reasons. In 2021, the first warning about the administrative penalty was sent to the site owner and a three-month period was set for the restoration of the site. In order to provide the necessary pressure on compliance with the legislation, a fine of 100 euros was envisaged for each day of delay, up to a maximum of 100 thousand euros. The affected owner now has several weeks to appeal the decision. Pressure from the government The Belgian Socialist Party announced that it was very pleased with the decision, making the fight against empty houses one of its priorities. At the forefront is Minister of State for Housing and Equal Opportunities Nawal Ben Hamou. Ben Hamou wants to force owners of vacant properties to put them back on the market. By any method. “Leaving properties vacant for several years contributes to increased rental prices and real estate speculation. This is unacceptable. This is the first time the Brussels Region has initiated legal action through this procedure,” the Secretary of State’s spokesman said. said. “This decision shows that it is no longer possible to leave a property in Brussels empty to the detriment of potential tenants,” he told newspaper Le Soir. From a technical perspective, the procedure is called “blocking action” and is aimed at cleaning the property. This procedure, introduced by the Regional Housing Law in 2009, has been rarely used by some local governments so far, but this procedure has been completed for the first time in the Region.
Tens of thousands of houses are without tenants
According to regional data compiled by researchers from ULB and VUB Universities, there are currently between 17 thousand and 26 thousand vacant flats. The reasons for so many tenantless properties are varied, but one thing is clear: there is no shortage of accommodation in the European capital, where rents are now booming, but there is a shortage of property owners willing to rent homes. “Until today, we have continued to talk about the housing shortage in the media. Today we clearly see that this is not the case. Moreover, if we look at the Region’s statistics in more detail, there is no housing shortage anymore. There are doubts: As of January 1, 2021, there were 559,260 families and 579,619 housing units in Brussels-Capital “Therefore, supply is theoretically greater than demand.” José Garcia, who has worked at the Tenants Union for forty years, told the weekly magazine Moustique: For the first time, the prediction was possible only thanks to data collected by university researchers. According to the general secretary of this organization, filling all empty houses with tenants will rebalance rents.
Speculative purposes
However, so far checks on empty houses have been very limited. Sanctions are also ineffective. In Brussels, an annual fine of 6 thousand euros is imposed on an empty two-storey house with a façade of 4 meters wide. According to Garcia, this is a figure that will not leave large owners in a difficult situation. “Some buildings are empty because large property owners speculate. Penalties are also included in their calculations not in a few months, but after five or ten years. Essentially, companies or other buyers invest in bricks, leaving the houses empty.” I wait for market prices to rise and eventually sell when capital gains become attractive,” explained the Secretary of State for Housing. Whatever the reasons, according to Nawal Ben Hamou, this phenomenon needs to be fought.
Landlords’ protest
The district’s countermeasures are opposed by the National Homeowners Association. Critic Olivier Hamal told the Belgian weekly newspaper: “There is speculation, but this is not the business of the average small property owner. We also condemn the discrimination between private owners and public buildings: the Pacheco complex, for example, has been uninhabited for years!” government. According to this union, the reasons for empty houses are different. They may arise from work that different tenants cannot complete, inheritance problems, or housing that needs to be brought up to standard. In many cases, the union complains that property owners do not have the money to make necessary repairs. To help them, the governments of Brussels and Wallonia are introducing a number of tools such as the Public Administration Code. This system, which has existed since 2003 but has remained almost unused for two decades, allows public authorities to temporarily take over the management of empty or unhealthy accommodation, allowing them to renovate, rent at a discount and reimburse the cost of renovation. rent received.
Expensive rents for unhealthy homes
When this rule comes into effect again, homeowners who insist on leaving their valuable homes empty will have little excuse. As well as tackling vacant housing, the regional government wants to encourage landlords to provide affordable rents. Prices are reasonable compared to other European capitals, but unsustainable for many families and workers, especially given the unsanitary conditions many flats face, according to the property owners’ union. Terrible insulation, presence of mice, structural problems. “We are developing an agreed policy: the owner will be able to certify that his property is harmonious, healthy and that his rent is within the tariff price ranges. In return, the Region will give him the right to enjoy a number of benefits: the regional government claimed that access to renewal bonuses was being given up. This move is a move that will be followed by a home in the European capital It will bring relief to 62% of renting residents, but the legislation needs to be implemented and that’s where the hopes of living in decent homes at affordable prices fade.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
