Social housing in FlandersRight to proper housing

05/03/2009

Housing SocialeEsperienze europee a confronto

per un modello lombardo

convegno INTERNAZIONALEMILANO

Wim GUILLEMYNPolicy 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

  Flanders Lombardy

Population 6 mio 9,5 mio

Area 13.521 km² 23.862 km²

GDP per capita 26.500 € 28.900 €

Unemployment rate 3,5% 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 600 000 houses rented out of which currently 24%

are socially rented:140.000 social rented

houses (property of 96 local

housing organisations)4.000 privately owned

houses, socially rented About 180.000 potential social tenants, of which 57.000

effectively on a waiting list

New decree in vote: aim to increase the % of socially rented houses from 6% up to 9% by 2020.

Social housing in Flanders - Right to proper housing

3. Four principles: availability

Conditions social rented sector: low income households:

18.800€ singles28.212€ families

No ownership of housing-property

Actions to increase availability social rented sector

New decree in vote by Flemish parliament: (1) overtaking manoeuvre 2009-2020: + 43.000 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 2009-2020: 22.000 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 10.000 €)

(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 baseSocial 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: 5000-6000 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 (65.000 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