Can you buy your social housing?

Incumbent or his/her spouse

You can buy the social housing you live as a tenant for at least 2 years.

But your spouse can also buy your home if you ask your social lender.

Ascendant or descendant of the incumbent

If you live in social housing as a tenant for at least 2 years, you can request from the social landlord that your home be purchased by one of the following:

• Let's say one ascendant (with or without spouse, Civil partnership partner, or cohabiting partner)
• Let's say one descendant (with or without spouse, Civil partnership partner, or cohabiting partner)

But the income of that buyer (or those buyers) must not exceed a maximum amount.

This maximum amount varies depending on whether or not at least one of the buyers has a mobility inclusion card (MIC) disability :

To be sold, the accommodation must meet the following 2 conditions:

• Comply with minimum standards habitability and energy performance
• Have been purchased or built by a social lender for more than 10 years (with exceptions)

Who can initiate the listing?

The sale of the accommodation may be on the initiative:

• Either from social lender who wants to sell social housing
• Or the tenant who wishes to purchase the social housing he has lived for at least 2 years.
  The tenant must send his purchase request to the social lessor, by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt. The landlord has 2 months to accept or refuse this request. He has to give the reason.

Listing price

The social lessor freely sets the selling price.

Information for the buyer

Before the sale, the social lessor must provide certain information in writing to the buyer:

• Amount of rental charges for the last 2 years (and condominium charges if they exist)
• List of work carried out in the last 5 years
• List of works to improve the common parts and equipment envisaged by the social landlord
• Assessment of the overall amount of this work and the share which will be borne by the purchaser
• Document specifying that the purchaser will have to pay property tax on built properties, every year, starting on the 1st^re year following the year of sale
• Where the immovable is in co-ownership, a copy of the description of the division of the immovable and the rules governing co-ownership

The social landlord must inform the purchaser of the possibility to call on a consumer ombudsman free of charge in the event of a dispute over the sale of the housing.

Social housing buyback clause

The social landlord is obliged to include a systematic buy-back clause in the contract for the sale of social housing.

This clause obliges the lessor to repurchase the dwelling within 10 years of the sale, when the purchaser is in one of the following situations:

• Loss of employment
• Separation (example: divorce)
• Health problem (under certain conditions)

Zero interest rate loan (PTZ)

You can partially finance the purchase of your social housing with a zero-interest loan (ZLOP), a non-interest-bearing loan. One of the requirements for this is to meet resource requirements. To learn more about these terms, you can contact your Adil: titleContent :

Special Purchasing Methods

The social landlord may offer to purchase your home as part of a lease-purchase agreement or a contract of sale of building to be renovated.

For more information, please contact your Adil: titleContent :