Rental guarantee CPAS
Public Social Action Center

The CPAS offers help to the most disadvantaged to build up their rental guarantee and find accommodation.

Every Belgian municipality has a Social Action Center to enable “everyone to lead a life in keeping with human dignity”. These public bodies provide social assistance to the most disadvantaged, as well as social, medical, psychological, administrative and financial support. The main objective is to help them integrate into a social life.

Social action is mainly aimed at people who do not qualify for social security, notably Belgian minors and political refugees. Depending on their personal situation, they may be awarded a living wage.

The CPAS social action center deals with other people in difficulty for whom occasional help may be requested.

Since 2007, the CPAS has been able to provide valuable assistance to tenants with low financial resources. CPAS assistance can take many forms, the two main ways being :

• Obtain a rental guarantee from a bank. In this case, the bank is acting on behalf of the CPAS and not on behalf of the future tenant;
• The CPAS can also use a letter of guarantee in which it undertakes to pay the rental guarantee to the landlord in the event of default by the tenant.

In the case of a bank guarantee obtained with the help of the CPAS, the amount of the rental guarantee can represent up to 3 months’ rent for the rented property.

Part of Belgium’s social housing stock is managed by the AIS social housing agencies. These social agencies manage real estate owned by private lessors who entrust their properties to them. These properties are offered for rent on a means-tested basis.