For whom?
To benefit from financial assistance from the Fund for your rental guarantee, you must be over 18 years of age and you cannot already be a landlord. In addition, your total household taxable income (as stated on your notice of assessment) may not exceed the Fund's scales:
The taxable income of your household shown on your most recent tax assessment notice cannot exceed the amounts shown in the table below:
| Number of dependants | Single person or single-parent household | Any other household |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | €69.721 | €88.736 |
| 1 | €74.721 | €93.736 |
| 2 | €79.721 | €98.736 |
| 3 | €84.721 | €103.736 |
| 4 | €89.721 | €108.736 |
| 5 | €94.721 | €113.736 |
These amounts are increased by €5,000 for each additional dependant.
A dependent disabled child is considered as two children.
For which accommodation?
The accommodation must be located in one of the 19 communes of Brussels-Capital Region and the lease must be for a minimum of 12 months. The accommodation must be your home within 3 months of signing the lease and it cannot be social housing
How to apply for support?
As soon as you have found your new home, you can submit your application for rental guarantee assistance via the online form, which is the preferred method of communication.
You can also submit your application by e-mail to garantielocative@fonds.brussels by filling in the form "Rental guarantee assistance" in the "Documents" section.
It is also possible to send your application by post or to drop it off in the Brussels Housing Fund's letterbox provided for this purpose.
What documents do I need to provide?
For your application to be complete, you must provide us with several documents:
- A copy of your identity card (front and back)
- Your most recent tax assessment notice to check that your income is within the qualifying scales
- Proof of your current income (payslip, social integration income, unemployment benefit, disability benefit, health insurance, pension).
- If you receive family allowances and/or child support, a certificate showing the amount or a recent bank statement
- Proof of payment of the last 6 rents
- Your new lease. If you do not yet have one, the information on your form will be used.
- Confirmation that you have opened a "rental guarantee" escrow account. (! A deposit can never be paid directly to the landlord! A deposit is always equivalent to two months' rent, excluding charges. Contact your bank or e-DEPO).
What is an individualised account in the name of the lessee?
An individualised account in the name of the lessee is a specific rental guarantee account blocked in the name of the lessee with a banking institution or with the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations. The amount of the guarantee is therefore not paid in cash or into the landlord's account. The intervention of the Brussels Housing Fund does not appear so that the landlord is unaware that the guarantee has been set up through any form of assistance from the Fund.
What kind of support?
There are two types of aid granted for the rental guarantee. The Fund analyses your application and, depending on your financial situation, will grant you either a consumer credit or aid via the BRU-GAL fund.
Consumer credit
- A 0% interest rate loan
- The repayment period is equal to the remaining term of the lease
- The maximum repayment period is 24 months
The BRU-GAL fund
- To join, you pay a monthly contribution of between €12 and €37 depending on your income
- When you leave the accommodation, you must return the aid received for the rental guarantee
- Once you have returned the aid, you will get back all the monthly contributions you have paid since the beginning
FAQ
According to the regulations, the Brussels Housing Fund has 15 days to respond to the application once the file is complete. However, we make sure that the deadlines are as short as possible.
The number of monthly payments cannot exceed the number of months remaining on your lease. This is a maximum of 24 months.
Applying for BRU-GAL aid is done in the same way as for a credit contract. If you do not meet the conditions for a loan, the Brussels Housing Fund will offer you a BRU-GAL contract.
No, the rental guarantee support from the Brussels Housing Fund is anonymous. The payment of the rental guarantee will be made in your name to the blocked account.
If you apply alone, the Fund can grant you the part of the rental guarantee that applies to you. If you apply together with all the other housemates, the entire rental guarantee can be granted.
No, it is not possible to apply if you have not yet found accommodation. If you intend to apply, you can already gather all the necessary documents so that your application is ready when you have found accommodation.
Provide the contact details (telephone and e-mail) of your debt mediator when you submit your application. The Brussels Housing Fund will inform the debt mediator and check with him/her whether the credit can be repaid or whether it is appropriate to apply to the BRU-GAL fund.
Provide the contact details (telephone and e-mail) of your mediator when you submit your application. The Brussels Housing Fund must have the agreement of your debt mediator for the rental guarantee to be granted.
Provide us with your property manager's order and contact details (telephone and e-mail) when you submit your application. The Brussels Housing Fund must have the agreement of your property manager to grant the rental guarantee, who must also sign the contractual documents.
In order to proceed with the payment of your rental guarantee, the Fund will need to have the document attesting to the opening of the blocked account. You can contact your bank to find out how to open a blocked account.
You can also open a blocked account online at the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations of the SPF via Itsme or with an identity card reader.
In order to open a blocked account at the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, you must provide the following information
- The lessor's identification number (company number or national number)
- The lessor's contact details (telephone and e-mail)
- If you have any problems connecting to Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, a Brussels Housing Fund employee will be able to help you.
Legally, the rental guarantee must be paid into an escrow account. If the landlord refuses, the Brussels Housing Fund cannot pay out your rental guarantee.
The payment of the rental guarantee will take place after signing the rental guarantee contract.
The bank or the Caisse des dépôts et consignations will provide you with a document confirming the payment of the rental guarantee.
If you qualify for assistance but have a debt problem that makes it impossible for you to take out a loan, you may be able to obtain assistance through the BRU-GAL fund.
The Fund will not be able to help you because its j jurisdiction is limited to the Brussels-Capital Region. Contact the administration of the municipality in which the accommodation you are renting is located and/or contact the Vlaams Woningfonds for Flanders and the Société Wallonne pour le Crédit Social for Wallonia.
You are not eligible for assistance in setting up a rental guarantee.
You do not qualify for assistance in setting up a rental guarantee. Do not hesitate to contact your SISP or the OCMW in your municipality.
You can also apply to the Fund for assistance in setting up a rental guarantee. The two grants can be combined.
If your income has decreased since the notice of assessment was issued, please provide us with the necessary evidence. We may take into account your current income to check your eligibility for support from the Fund.
We invite you to contact the OCMW in your municipality.
In order to obtain your latest credit statement, please contact the creditor. You don't remember your current credits? Please consult the information registered in your name at the National Bank of Belgium's Central Consumer Credit Register.
Provide yourself with a duplicate of your tax assessment notice at the following link: duplicate of my tax assessment notice.
The fact that you do not have a signed lease is not an obstacle to the granting of a rental guarantee by the Brussels Housing Fund.
Please note: it is possible that it will be requested when you approach your bank to open a blocked account.
Provide Model 2 or your latest household composition even if it includes your old address.
You can provide the acknowledgement of receipt of your application for social benefit.
You can provide us with an estimate of your current net monthly income from your accountant. Other information may be requested depending on your activity.
You can provide us with the declaration of loss to the police. Please note: some banks require an identity card to open a blocked account.
You can provide us with the address history, which you can request from the municipal administration of the last municipality where you lived.
A bank statement is sufficient.
You can provide us with proof that you have applied for your residence permit.
The Fund may in certain circumstances grant assistance for rental guarantees. For example, in cases of bare ownership, upcoming sale of the property and separation.
No, the support is anonymous. The contract is concluded exclusively between the Fund and the tenant.
The Brussels Housing Fund grant will be blocked in a separate account in the lessee's name. You will then have to make arrangements with your landlord so that he or she agrees to reimburse you for the first rental guarantee.
You must return this advance when you move out of the accommodation for which you have been granted rental guarantee assistance. You must also give us your new address.
No, the BRU-GAL advance must only be returned when you leave the accommodation. You must provide proof of the renewal of your lease. Ideally, this proof should indicate the duration of the renewal of the lease. For example, a statement from the landlord, the mention in your lease indicating the renewal period, the rider to your lease, proof of payment of the rent, etc. As long as you are in the accommodation you must continue to pay your contributions.
Under certain conditions, if it is blocked again on a rental guarantee account and if you are in order with your contributions, it is possible to use the advance for another accommodation. To do this, you must contact us immediately to explain your situation.
Under certain conditions and if you are in order with the payment of contributions, two financial aids can be granted simultaneously.
- You must return the amount recovered
- You must set up a payment plan with the Housing Fund for the amount outstanding
You must contact us in order to set up a payment plan until the situation can be regularised on your side.
You must use the same references as for the payment of contributions (bank account, communication).