While social housing fraud is strictly controlled in the Flanders, the French-speaking liberal party have claimed, without data, that many claimants of social housing in Wallonia are likely defrauding the state, La Libre reports.
MR have based their latest policy proposal on figures from Flanders, as well as the fact that Wallonia has not conducted any investigations into the possibility that claimants of social housing also own property overseas.
In a study conducted by Flemish authorities between March and December 2021 by the Minister for Housing, it was found that over the course of 677 investigations, 322 (48%) presented evidence of the existence of property owned overseas. One of the conditions to be able to claim social housing, across Belgium, is to receive under a certain income and not own property.
Flanders is very active in the field of social housing fraud and regularly carries out regular inspections, sometimes even resorting to private investigators. However, in Wallonia, MPs from the French-speaking liberal party Mouvement Réformateur (MR) claim that authorities are "deliberately" ignoring the issue.
“These figures [from Flanders] should concern us,” warned Walloon deputy Christophe Collignon. “In Wallonia, we do not know these figures and we have the impression that we prefer not to know anything. With us, only a sworn statement is required to be drawn up when applying for public housing.”
MR wants an anti-fraud system in place
For the French-speaking region, the situation needs to be looked into, the deputy alleges.
“It comes at the expense of people who actually need [social housing]. Wouldn't there, therefore, be reason to intensify the fight against social housing fraud which, in the end, penalises the many candidate tenants. Indeed, more than 40,000 families are waiting for social housing, it would be a step forward in terms of social justice,” Collignon said.
The Flemish Minister for Housing will extend its investigation into social housing by a year. Indeed, the Flemish Government framed the move in the context of justice for those eligible for housing.
Credit: Belga / Michel Krakowski
When residents apply for social housing, most social housing funds cannot verify the existence of overseas property. Those found to be in infraction are asked to pay back all the rent reductions they have benefited from.
According to MR, Flanders is way ahead, while in Wallonia, the battle has yet to even begin. “This is an unacceptable situation in terms of the balance of the rental market and access to social housing for those who are entitled to it… There must therefore be a better match between the needs of precarious families and the number of existing public housing units,” Collignon noted. Yet MR, like the Flemish Government, are known to advocate for reduced social spending.
Getting tough on fraud
MR now wants to tighten the conditions for social housing in Wallonia, drawing inspiration from the Flemish model. In Flanders, individuals are not entitled to apply for social housing if they have over €25,580 in savings, or €40,940 in family savings.
“In Wallonia…. I think that a more regular analysis [of social housing fraud] should be carried out, for example every five years, this declaration should not last 10 years because the risk of [fraud] is not zero,” Yves Evrard, Walloon MR deputy, told La Libre Belgique.
Unfortunately, catching fraud costs money – sometimes even more than it saves. The pilot project to catch social housing fraudsters carried a significant price tag, but ultimately proved fruitful.
“According to the Flemish minister, it cost €1 million euros, but the return is a multiple of that. For the residential area of Antwerp alone, the amount recovered amounts to €1 million,” Evrard concluded.
