The picturesque municipality of Thimister-Clermont in the Liége Province (Wallonia) recently announced plans to hand out a bonus of up to €5,000 for people who move there.
According to L’Avenir, the idea is to attract young first-time buyers looking to buy a house, in a bid to combat demographic ageing and rising property prices in the village.
The conditions are strict, with the bonus set at 1.5% of the purchase price, with a ceiling of €5,000 per application.
Only those aged between 18 and 35 qualify for the bonus; they must also not own another property, and are required to register in the municipality within two years of applying.
Priority will be given to Thimister residents – but anyone who qualifies can apply. So far, the municipality has a budget of €50,000 for this scheme.
"We have set aside a budget of €50,000 with a maximum grant of €5,000. That's at least ten applications, without really knowing where we're headed," explains local councillor Christian Baguette to L’Avenir.
"The idea was to have a substantial budget available when the grant was launched, which will be adjusted according to demand."
Illustration picture shows the city centre of Thimister-Clermont, Thursday 17 September 2020. Credit: Belga / Jean-Luc Flemal
Real estate pressures due to the soaring price of land and building costs have made home buying in the village and the surrounding area increasingly difficult.
Many people have recently approached Councillor for Housing Lambert Demonceau, saying they like areas such as Thimister (as well as the nearby Aubel, Welkenraedt, and Herve) – popular in terms of jobs and good transport access – but the prices are too high.
The ageing population is another reason. "We don't have a problem at the moment, but we will in 10 years," he says, explaining that many of those who built houses between the 1980s and 2000s are almost all retired today.
"At the time, we grew quite rapidly from 3,500 to 5,000 inhabitants, and it will take some time before a new cycle begins," he stated.
Incentives elsewhere
This Belgian initiative is far from unique. Italy is the leader in settlement incentives, particularly for its depopulated southern regions like Sicily, Calabria and Puglia.
However, these are usually not age-restricted. One scheme in the mountainous Trentino region in northern Italy has offered up to €100,000 (€20,000 for purchase, €80,000 for renovation) to people who agree to restore abandoned houses in the Dolomites, subject to certain conditions.
France has seen a similar incentive to the one in Thimister-Clermont, according to French media.
A cheque for €5,000 was granted to first-time buyers who chose to settle in the municipality of Marolles-les-Braults (Sarthe, Western France). Families could obtain an additional bonus of €1,000 per child under the age of 15.
