Anyone who fails to declare the renovation of their property to the land registry now faces a fine of up to €3,000, Het Laatste Nieuws reported on Friday.
This is considerably more than the €1,250 maximum penalty that applied until now.
Anyone who does any construction work on a property must report it within 30 days of completion. Renovation can increase the value of the property and, thereby, its rental value, so the cadastral income – used as a basis for calculating property taxes – needs to be adjusted.
Owners who fail to declare renovations therefore face fines of €1,000, 2,000 or 3,000, depending on their new cadastral income.
Installing solar panels does not increase the value of a property. On the other hand, renovating a bathroom or fitting out an attic, for example. can have an impact.
