KNOWLEDGE BASE
Knowledge base: foreign assets, social housing and living wage
Fifteen articles on the rules, the figures and the case law concerning real estate abroad. Written for case managers at public centres for social welfare (OCMWs), cities and municipalities, social housing companies, Wonen in Vlaanderen (Housing in Flanders, the Flemish housing agency) and social investigation and enforcement services, and for lawyers and bailiffs. Written without advertising and with references to sources.
All articles
SOCIAL HOUSING
The property ownership condition in the Flemish Housing Code explained
What a social housing tenant may and may not own, in Belgium and abroad, and what happens when a property is concealed.
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SOCIAL HOUSING
The Flemish framework agreement for foreign property investigation
How housing companies have been able to commission investigations in 41 countries through the framework agreement since 2021, and what Wonen in Vlaanderen reimburses.
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SOCIAL HOUSING
Sworn declaration in social housing: why a signature is not a check
What the declaration entails, why it is not evidence and how verification does work.
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OCMW AND LIVING WAGE
Means test for the living wage: what counts, including abroad
The means investigation, real estate in Belgium and abroad, and recovery in the event of concealment.
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OCMW AND LIVING WAGE
Domicile fraud versus property fraud: two investigations, two types of evidence
Why a home visit says nothing about a property abroad, and the other way round.
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CASE LAW
What the Belgian courts say about foreign property investigation
Hamme 2019, Antwerp 2020 and Woonhaven: privacy, anti-discrimination and what this means for your case.
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FIGURES
Figures: 677 investigations, 48% hits, 3 million recovered
What the Flemish figures for 2021 to 2025 show and why the number of investigations is falling while the hit rate remains high.
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HOW WE WORK
Private detective or investigation agency via lawyers: the difference
What a private detective may do, what we do, and which route suits an OCMW or housing company.
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OCMW AND LIVING WAGE
Living wage and stay abroad: the four-week rule and what the OCMW may check
A maximum of four weeks per year abroad, and why a long stay often points to ownership.
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HOW WE WORK
When may you start a property investigation? Suspicion, GDPR and case building
Which suspicion is sufficient, what is proportionate, what is not allowed and which documents the case file must contain.
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SOCIAL HOUSING
Recovering the social rent reduction after concealed property: calculation, time limit and procedure
What the reduction is, how far back you can go, limitation, investigation costs and the steps before the justice of the peace.
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SOCIAL HOUSING
Social rental agency, housing company and the property ownership condition: who checks what
Since the merger, the same rules apply to social rental agency (SVK) tenants. What this means for verification of foreign property.
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COUNTRIES AND REGISTERS
What a tapu is and what a Turkish property document means for your case
What the Turkish title deed states, what hisse and intikal mean and how the document becomes usable in your case.
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COUNTRIES AND REGISTERS
Real estate in Morocco: registered and unregistered property
The difference between registered and unregistered property and which documents count in a Moroccan case.
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COUNTRIES AND REGISTERS
Real estate in Italy: what a visura and a declaration of succession mean for your case
Undivided inheritances, low values and usufruct: what the Italian register documents say about ownership.
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Do you have a question about real estate abroad? We are happy to discuss which service suits your case. You receive clarity in advance about the assignment, the lead time and the costs.