Do I meet the requirements?

For a mortgage loan, your taxable income as shown on your last notice of assessment at the time of the credit application must fall within the income scales :

Number of dependants

Personne isolée ou ménage monoparental

Tout autre ménage

0 69.721 €88.736 €
1 74.721 € 93.736 €
2 79.721 € 98.736 €
3 84.721 € 103.736 €
   89.721 €*  108.736 €*

Where can I buy?

The house you wish to buy must be located in Brussels, which includes the following municipalities:

  • Anderlecht
  • Auderghem
  • Berchem-Sainte-Agathe
  • Bruxelles-ville
  • Etterbeek
  • Evere
  • Forest
  • Ganshoren
  • Ixelles
  • Jette
  • Koekelberg
  • Molenbeek-Saint-Jean
  • Saint-Gilles
  • Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
  • Schaerbeek
  • Uccle
  • Watermael-Boitsfort
  • Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
  • Woluwe-Saint-Pierre

How much can I borrow?

The amount of the loan will be determined according to your ability to repay.

In addition to the purchase price or the cost of building the home, the Fund's credit may also cover certain costs such as renovation work or legal fees. In certain cases, and if the Fund considers it justified, the credit can reach 120% of the value of the property, if necessary after the work has been carried out.

How is the interest rate set?

Your income and family situation determine the interest rate of your mortgage. In order to ensure transparency and stability, our loans are granted at a fixed interest rate in constant or progressive monthly instalments.

What is a progressive monthly payment?

It is a monthly payment that increases each year by a certain percentage, in this case 1%, which is normally lower than the inflation rate.

Your family situationMinimum rateMaximum rate
0 dependants3,85 %5 %
1 dependant3,65 %5 %
2 dependants*.3,45 %5 %
3 or more dependants3,25 %5 %

 *Or when all borrowers are under 40 years old.

How long will my repayment be?

In principle, the maximum duration of the mortgage is 30 years, and it must be fully repaid by the time the youngest borrower reaches the age of 70.

What are the obligations?

When you take out a mortgage with us to buy a property:

  • You must reside permanently in Belgium
  • You cannot own another property in Belgium or abroad
  • Your household will need to fully occupy the home

The 6 steps to become a homeowner in Brussels!

1. I get information

  • Simulate your loan to find out your borrowing capacity and the conditions: monthly payment, interest rate, duration, etc.
  • Once you have found a property and have a purchase agreement, you will be given an appointment with us within 10 working days

 

2. I have found my future home

  • Take advice from your chosen notary (www.notaire.be)
  • Contact the relevant departments for any housing-related town planning   questions
  • Find out about possible condominium charges
  • Make an estimate of the possible renovation to be done

3. I am committed to buy

  • Plan a deposit that may be required when signing a preliminary purchase agreement
  • Include a suspensive clause on obtaining a mortgage loan for at least six weeks from the date of signing the preliminary purchase agreement. 

4. I submit my application

  • Contact us to make an appointment within 10 working days!

5. I prepare my credit application

  • You must pay the Fund the appraisal costs (€324) and provide proof of payment before the Fund orders the expert to carry out the appraisal of the home.
  • An adviser in charge of your case will arrange a second meeting with you to analyse the contents of the expertise and the documents requested.

6. My dream comes true

  • If f your loan is approved, you will receive a letter confirming that your loan has been granted. You must then pay the application fee (€60) within 8 days of this confirmation. If you fail to do so, the credit offer cannot be finalised.
  • Before signing your loan agreement with the notary, you will sign your loan offer with the Fund.
  • The loan deed will be signed and the funds made available in accordance with the deadline specified in the preliminary purchase agreement.

Simulate your mortgage loan!

Our online simulator allows you to carry out an initial simulation of your loan rates and repayments.

Image

FAQ

You can apply for a mortgage loan from the Brussels Housing Fund if your taxable income does not exceed the maximum income scales listed in the rates table and if you are not already a homeowner. The home you wish to buy must be located in one of the 19 communes of the Brussels-Capital Region.

The amount of the mortgage is calculated according to your ability to repay.

The notary's fee includes the purchase deed fee and the credit deed fee. The purchase deed fee is calculated according to the purchase price. The credit deed fees are calculated according to the amount of credit borrowed.

If you buy a property, you will have to pay registration fees, which amount to 12.5% of the purchase price. It should be noted, however, that if you comply with certain conditions, an abatement on these registration fees can be obtained and you will no longer pay registration fees on the first €200,000 of your purchase, which can result in a maximum saving of €25,000 on these fees (or even more under certain conditions). For more details on this and other costs associated with your purchase or loan, you are advised to consult your notary beforehand.

The loan can include notary fees but we recommend that you invest as much of your own money as possible in the purchase. After an analysis of your file, the credit can reach 120% of the value of the property, without exceeding the credit amount scale set according to the composition of the household.

Yes, the mortgage can also cover the renovations to be done on the property, prioritising safety and health work, within the limits of your repayment capacity.

The Fund cannot lend you the deposit equivalent to 10% of the purchase price, to be paid when signing the preliminary purchase agreement or the offer to purchase. The deposit is not obligatory, but it constitutes a guarantee for the seller and its amount is negotiable with the seller.

Get a new credit simulation by contacting us by e-mail at infopret@fonds.brussels (in French or Dutch only) and mentioning your simulation number as well as the changes in your situation. A member of the team will contact you to collect the information and carry out a new mortgage simulation. It is also possible to carry out this simulation again directly online.

 

You can make a simulation directly online and/or request an appointment at the same time.

The interest rate is fixed. It is calculated according to your age and your family and financial situation. It depends on your taxable income, which is considered according to the date of application (reference date).

Send us your signed offer to purchase or sales agreement to infopret@fond.brussels (in French or Dutch only). We will contact you to arrange an appointment within 10 working days to submit your credit application.

The conditions for obtaining credit from the Fund are as follows:

  • You must be permanently resident in Belgium.
  • The amount of the household's taxable income may not exceed the maximum income scales of the Fund.
  • You must not own any other property in Belgium or abroad.
  • You must provide all the necessary information to enable us to decide on your credit application.
  • You must become the full owner of your property and occupy it for the duration of the loan.
  • You must undertake to render and maintain the dwelling in accordance with the requirements of habitability, safety and health.

For this type of financing, it is possible to obtain a repossession of the outstanding balance limited to the capital you have already repaid under your current loan or an additional loan, but in the latter case, new deed fees will be payable.

Yes, you can do this at any time. However, if you took out your credit with the Fund after June 2008, you will have to pay a re-use fee corresponding to 3 months' interest calculated at the interest rate of the current credit.

We invite you to contact your notary for any further information.

 

You can sell your property at any time but you must notify us in writing before the sale and inform us of the desired selling price. The Fund has a right of pre-emption (right of first refusal) and therefore has the priority to buy it back at the price you have been offered. During the sale of your home, the notary will contact the Fund to find out if it wishes to exercise its right of pre-emption. At the time of the sale, the outstanding balance of the loan will be repaid with the proceeds.

You must inform us of the divorce and the agreement between the spouses for the occupation of the home. The spouses will continue to pay the monthly mortgage instalments as long as the sale or the procedure for leaving the joint ownership has not been completed. In fact, divorce may lead to a request for disassociation of the loan by one of the borrowers and redemption by the ex-spouse. In this case, the spouse who wishes to buy the share of his or her ex-spouse can apply for additional credit from the Fund to pay for the latter's undivided share. We will ask you to forward the draft agreement on the withdrawal of the undivided interest drawn up by the notary to determine the conditions for the withdrawal of the undivided interest between the spouses, as well as the documents establishing the updated income.

You always have the option of paying off your loan early, in part or in full, in return for a re-use fee. Contact our services, a member of our team will guide you through the process.

We are always ready to listen to you in case of payment difficulties. Don't delay in contacting our services: together we will look for a solution that will be adapted to your situation as much as possible.

It is possible to apply to buy back your credit under certain conditions. In particular, if you suffer a significant loss of income or if your credit consumes more than 40% of your income or if your family situation has changed and you are in danger of losing your home. If two of these conditions are met, do not hesitate to contact us to submit your application.

Yes, you can, subject to prior application to the Fund. The rental period will then be a maximum of 6 years. Depending on the amount of rent you ask for, a maximum increase of 1% in your interest rate may be applied.

Brussels Housing Fund does not sell insurance. For this type of product, we advise you to contact an insurance broker or your bank.

Yes, absolutely. This insurance can be taken out after you have signed your credit agreement. Ideally, it will cover the remaining balance of your loan.

Yes, you can, but for your own sake only, we strongly advise against it.

It is possible to buy a parking space or garage box under certain conditions, the main ones being:

  • you are already a borrower from the Fund for your home
  • the car park is located in the immediate vicinity (preferably in the building) of your home

Except in the case of a new build, the property that is the subject of the loan must be valued. To this end, you give the Fund a mandate to order and have a valuation of the property carried out in your name and on your behalf by an expert approved by the Fund. This expert will then send you his report and provide a true copy to the Fund. However, the appraisal can only be requested after your duly signed credit application has been received and you have paid the appraisal fee of EUR 324 (incl. VAT) to the Fund (you must provide proof of payment for this).

Yes, the fee amounts to EUR 60. It is indisputably due for each mortgage loan application submitted to the Fund that has been accepted and confirmed in writing by the Fund, it being understood that this amount is due only once, even if the same application covers several simultaneous loan applications. This administration fee must be paid within 8 days from the date of the letter confirming acceptance of the credit application. If payment is not made, the credit offer cannot be transmitted and finalised.

I have a written purchase agreement

Do you have a written and signed purchase agreement (offer to purchase/promise to sell) and would you like to make an appointment to submit a credit application? Fill in the online form and a desk officer will contact you within 10 days.

Complaint

A consumer who has reason to believe that the legislation applicable to his or her credit application or credit, as the case may be, has not been correctly applied may lodge a complaint with the Brussels Housing Fund at the following address :

Fonds du Logement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale SC
Service des plaintes de consommations
Rue de l'Eté 73 
1050 Brussels
+32 2 504 32 11
Mail: dac_plaintes_klachten@fonds.brussels

In order for the Fund to be able to process the complaint in the best possible way, the following information must be included:

  • the full identity of the consumer (surname, first name, date of birth and address)
  • if applicable, the file number of the credit application or credit
  • the reasons for the complaint

If the Fund does not respond within a reasonable period of time, the consumer may lodge a complaint with OMBUDSFIN. This independent association is responsible for the out-of-court settlement of consumer disputes in the field of financial services with the aim of helping to resolve disputes between a lender and a consumer, by providing advice on the matter or by acting as a mediator (except for debt mediation). Where appropriate, this complaint should be addressed to :

OMBUDSFIN asbl
North Gate II
Boulevard du Roi Albert II 8, bte 2
1000 Bruxelles
+32 2 545 77 70
ombudsman@ombudsfin.be
site web: www.ombudsfin.be