Social housing in Flanders Right to proper housing 05/03/2009 Housing Sociale Esperienze europee a confronto per un modello lombardo convegno INTERNAZIONALE MILANO Wim GUILLEMYN Policy Advisor of the Flemish Department of Town and Country Planning, Housing Policy and Immovable Heritage

Social housing in Flanders - Right to proper housing 1.General 2.Flemish Housing Code 3.Four basic principles 4.Financing social housing in Flanders 5.Conclusion

1.General Comparison frame: Belgian Constitution  a constitutional right to decent housing  constitutional ground: art 23 Belgian constitution: Social housing in Flanders - Right to proper housing Everyone has the right to a decent existence Decrees and laws need to secure this right FlandersLombardy Population6 mio9,5 mio Area km² km² GDP per capita € € Unemployment rate3,5%3,3%

1.General Art 23 BC right to a decent existence  definition: 1. right to work and one’s free will to choose a profession; 2. right to social security, health protection, …. 3. right to decent housing 4. …. Social housing in Flanders - Right to proper housing  Housing policy is assigned to the regions  Flemish region: translation of constitutional right in the Flemish Housing Code

2.Flemish housing code Article 3 right to a decent housing  adjusted to ones personal needs  a house of good quality  reasonably priced  and guaranteed to secure living Social housing in Flanders - Right to proper housing

2.Flemish housing code Four basic principles:  availability  secure living  housing quality  affordable housing Social housing in Flanders - Right to proper housing

3.Four principles: availability Availability rental market Housing market constitution in Flanders: 2,4 mio houses devided in  74,4 % owned by owner-occupator  About houses rented out of which currently 24% are socially rented: social rented houses (property of 96 local housing organisations) privately owned houses, socially rented  About potential social tenants, of which effectively on a waiting list New decree in vote: aim to increase the % of socially rented houses from 6% up to 9% by Social housing in Flanders - Right to proper housing

3.Four principles: availability Conditions social rented sector:  low income households: € singles € families  No ownership of housing-property Actions to increase availability social rented sector New decree in vote by Flemish parliament: (1) overtaking manoeuvre : social rented houses (2) Local social scope: 9% of houses socially rented by 2020 (3) Urgent action required for communities with less than 3% social rent houses Social housing in Flanders - Right to proper housing

3.Four principles: availability Availability owner occupation  Social buying houses: limited offer (about 1500/year, built by 12 social housing corporations)  New decree in vote by Flemish parliament: (1)Overtaking manoeuvre : extra social buying houses (of social terrains) (2)New rules for building companies to realise more modest houses: Not subsidized Quality guaranteed (same level as social houses) Limited in m² and volume Cheaper than ‘normal’ or ‘private’ houses Social housing in Flanders - Right to proper housing

3.Four principles: security Secure living social rent  social tenants secured of house regardless of the income limit  tenants participation  non temporary contracts  in order to improve the existence of liveability:  Trial contracts (2 years)  Optional local allocation regulation with target group policy Social housing in Flanders - Right to proper housing

3.Four principles: security Secure living private rental Federal laws try to protect tenant (very strict restriction in cancellation possibilities for owners) Still long way to go: tenants remain in socio-economic weaker position - market imperfections (not enough houses) - complete freedom of rent price (no link between price and quality) Secure living private owned Free income protection insurance during first 10 years of loan Social housing in Flanders - Right to proper housing

3.Four principles: quality Housing quality social rent  social housing stock: exemplary function on quality  point of special attention: energy saving/durability Housing quality private sector (for owners-inhabitants)  Renovation subsidies (30% of the cost up to €) (2008: 90 mio € budget in total)  Tax reduction and subsidies for ecological interventions Housing quality private sector (privately rented houses) Enforce basic quality standards, mainly by repressive actions: 1000 houses declared unfit for human habitation on a yearly base Social housing in Flanders - Right to proper housing

3.Four principles: affordability Affordability social rent:  rental cost price depends on the income and on number of persons that need to live from this income  Limited to maximum 1/55 of the yearly income Affordability private rent  Subsidies for people moving from unfit houses  Subsidies for elderly people moving to better fit housing  Subsidies for installing homeless people  Subsidies for people longer than 5 years on a waiting list for social housing (7.500 people in 2009)  No general rental subsidy: discussion ongoing Social housing in Flanders - Right to proper housing

3.Four principles: affordability Affordability ownership  Cheap mortgages through the government: social mortgages for a total amount of about 600 mio € per year.  Social buying houses realisation aims to be completely in function of the social scope: modest housing  Serious income tax reduction during the mortgage periode Social housing in Flanders - Right to proper housing

4.Financing social housing in Flanders  interest-free loans for social housing corporations  no capital injections, except for infrastructure  subsidies for social housing corporations with low income New law: measuring performance as a basis for improvement and homologation of social housing corporations Social housing in Flanders - Right to proper housing

5.Conclusion  Right to proper housing legally guaranteed and reinforced by new initiatives ( new social houses by 2020!)  Development through specific instruments/sets of measures/organisations  Social housing corporations are considered as the main (but not exclusive) partner for further developing social housing in Flanders. Extra dynamism is to be expected from the private building sector by enforcing the social scope. Social housing in Flanders - Right to proper housing