Flemish Minister of Housing Matthias Diependaele (N-VA) is starting a campaign to raise awareness of the Fund to Combat Evictions (FBU). “We note that the Fund is still too little known in Flanders, which leads to evictions or rent disputes that can be avoided,” he says today.
Since the start of the Fund in the autumn of 2020, 547 applications for intervention have been approved, together amounting to 500,000 euros in financial support. But the potential is much greater, Diependaele notes. For example, a budget of 6.2 million euros has been made available for 2023.
He now wants to publicize the existence of the Fund more widely through a targeted campaign. The campaign runs through advertisements on social media and in the written press. In certain searches in online search engines, the Fund will also appear as the first result.
“Due to the rising cost of living, it is not inconceivable that residents will be confronted with rent arrears. It is important that they know that they can contact the OCMW for a payment plan, which is why we are also launching an extra campaign so that we can reach and help those people in a very targeted way who need it,” says Minister Diependaele.
How does an intervention by the Fund work?
When a tenant or landlord establishes rent arrears, they can conclude a guidance agreement with the OCMW. The OCMW then commits itself to assisting the tenant in paying off the rent arrears, while the landlord is also reimbursed part of the arrears. In addition to a fixed compensation, the OCMW can also receive a refund of up to 60 percent of the total rent arrears per file from the Fund as a compensation for the guidance. As long as the rent arrears do not increase and the tenant adheres to the payment plan, he cannot be evicted from the home.
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss a thing of the stars.