Social Real Estate Agencies
SREA rental guarantee

The Social Real Estate Agencies (SREA) are Belgian associations financed by the Belgian autonomous regions. These autonomous real estate agencies manage the rental of social housing in Belgium. Most of these accommodations belong to private owners. These dwellings are rented at a reduced rent to allow low-income households to find accommodation. These social real estate agencies have the mission of enabling the poorest to find accommodation in Belgium.

The Social Real Estate Agency  is responsible for the relationship between the social tenant and the lessor of the property. The agency is responsible for managing all aspects of the rental management of the rented property, including the inventory and any renovations. The owner discharges the current aspects of rental management and benefits from all the services provided by the AIS:

• The rental guarantee
• The maintenance of the property
• Assistance during the renovation
• Exemption from property tax

The main advantage of the tenant is to benefit from well-maintained social housing at moderate rent.

The criteria for access to the allocation of social housing managed by a Social Housing Agency are based on several notions. The future tenant:

• Cannot be the owner of real estate, in full ownership, in usufruct or in emphyteusis;
• Must have a household income that does not exceed the eligibility limits:
  – 23,525.31 euros per year, for a person living alone
  – 26,139.25 euros per year, for a household with a single income
  – 29,873.47 euros per year, for a household with several incomes
• This income is increased by 2,240.50 euros for each dependent child
• Must be registered in the population register or in the register of foreigners of a municipality in Belgium;
• Not having had any disputes in the past with the Social Real Estate Agency;
  Must have only one entry per household member.

The rent for accommodation offered by a Social Housing Agency is fixed in the rental lease and regulated by law at a level below the market price.

The rent is defined in relation to the rent fixed with the owner of the accommodation. The Social Housing Agency  guarantees the tenant a rent below the market price. The tenant therefore benefits from an additional reduction granted by the Social Housing Agency in relation to the rent fixed by the landlord on condition that he justifies each year that he meets the conditions of maximum household income.

The tenant has several ways of constituting his rental guarantee within the framework of the allocation of social housing managed by a Social Real Estate Agency:

He can request a rental bank guarantee from the bank where his salary is paid every month. The tenant thus obtains a loan from his bank which he repays over a maximum period of 3 years;
The tenant of social property can also sometimes obtain assistance from the CPAS for the rental guarantee. The CPAS then stands surety for the tenant with the AIS social landlord.

The Social Real Estate Agencies regularly offer new properties for rent. People wishing to obtain one of the accommodations offered must submit their file to the Social Real Estate Agencies in charge of the property to be rented. To be selected as a candidate tenant, people must meet the financial and family conditions set out above.

The Brussels Social Housing Agency ( website) brings together more than 8,000 social housing units managed by the 28 local social agencies in Brussels.