Following weeks of discussions, the Brussels Parliament has finally approved the majority's proposal to limit the indexation of rent for one year, based on the energy value of the property.
The Brussels Regional Government already found an agreement on the indexation, which the Parliament has now adopted. It stipulates that 100% indexation of rents in the Brussels-Capital Region could be applied to homes with a certificate of Energy Performance and Indoor Climate (EPB) of categories A, B, C and D – the least energy-consuming homes.
For houses with an EPB of category E, the indexation can be applied for 50%, while for houses with an EPB of F or G (the most energy-hungry houses), no indexation can be applied.
"I have finally obtained an agreement to block the indexation of rents on inefficient energy properties," said Brussels State Secretary for Housing Nawal Ben Hamou on Twitter. "Given the urgency of the situation, the text was voted on this Friday 7 October in the Brussels Parliament."
The proposal protects 65% of tenants in Brussels, stressed Green party leader Arnaud Verstraete Friday afternoon during the committee proceedings, reports Belga News Agency. "We had to move quickly to avoid a number of landlords making another quick indexation. That indexation could amount to a thirteenth month's rent."
Verstraete said that 30% of Brussels tenants live in housing with a G-certificate, 15% with an E-certificate and 20% with a D-certificate.
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"During this extraordinary situation, everyone has to take responsibility," said State Secretary for Urbanism Pascal Smet. "We decided that rents for poorly insulated houses can no longer rise so that people do not get double bills. Only together will we get through this crisis."
