A planning permit will soon be mandatory for co-living spaces in Brussels
The government of Rudi Vervoort, in a decree dated May 15 and published in the Belgian Official Gazette on June 21, has decided to subject co-living spaces to a planning permit and approval.
As a result, a permit will be required whenever a property owner wishes to set up a co-living space in one or more housing units. This could involve an apartment building, a house, a duplex, or even an individual apartment.
To recap, co-living refers to housing intended for several people, with access to one or more private spaces and shared communal areas. These units are rented by a non-occupant landlord for a minimum of 3 months, with an individual lease for each tenant, and may include additional services for the occupants.
It’s important to note that this measure does not apply to shared housing, cooperative housing (as defined by the Brussels Housing Code), collective student housing, or nursing homes.
What about approval?
In addition to planning permission, the Brussels executive, which is currently in power, has also introduced a system of approval, the terms and conditions of which have yet to be defined. This means that the lessor of a coliving apartment will have to obtain double authorization before being able to rent out his property.
The most recent figures, dating from June 2021, show that there are no fewer than 164 colivings in the capital, representing 1,510 rooms concentrated mainly in Ixelles, Bruxelles-Ville and Saint-Gilles.
It's a safe bet that this number is now much higher. This has prompted some local authorities to introduce legislation in an attempt to curb a phenomenon that can have perverse effects, including property speculation and the densification of existing buildings.
These new regulations are intended to provide a framework and regulate the development of colivings in Brussels, by ensuring a legal and structured framework for this increasingly popular type of housing.
Owners interested in this type of development are therefore invited to keep abreast of the precise terms and conditions that will shortly be defined by the Brussels government.
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