{"id":604,"date":"2026-10-25T13:44:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T12:44:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/knowledge-base\/belgian-courts-foreign-property-investigation\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T09:28:41","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T08:28:41","slug":"belgian-courts-foreign-property-investigation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/knowledge-base\/belgian-courts-foreign-property-investigation\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Belgian courts say about foreign property investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-artikelkop bb-artikelkop--beeld\" id=\"artikelkop\" data-bg=\"primary\" style=\"--bb-ak-img:url(https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/bb\/kb-rechter.webp)\"><div class=\"bb-container bb-artikelkop__inhoud\"><p class=\"bb-kicker\">KNOWLEDGE BASE \u00b7 CASE LAW<\/p><h1>What the Belgian courts say about foreign property investigation<\/h1><p class=\"bb-artikelkop__meta\">Reading time 7 minutes \u00b7 updated October 2026<\/p><div class=\"bb-artikelkop__kort\"><p class=\"bb-kicker\">In brief<\/p><\/p>\n<p>May a housing company or public centre for social welfare (OCMW) have an investigation carried out into whether someone owns real estate abroad, and how does the court weigh the evidence? The Belgian courts have answered these questions on several occasions since 2019; in the cases discussed here, the investigating institution largely prevailed. This article sets the three most important rulings side by side and applies them to your case.<\/p>\n<p><\/div><\/div><\/section><nav class=\"bb-breadcrumb\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><ol><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/\">Home<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/knowledge-base\/\">Knowledge base<\/a><\/li><li><span aria-current=\"page\">What the Belgian courts say about foreign property investigation<\/span><\/li><\/ol><\/div><\/nav><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-kolommen\" id=\"inhoud\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><div class=\"bb-kolommen__grid\"><div class=\"bb-kolom bb-kolom--hoofd\"><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--tekst\" id=\"hamme-2019\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>Hamme, 6 June 2019<\/h2><div class=\"bb-tekst\"><\/p>\n<p>Housing company De Zonnige Woonst had Bureaubuitenland investigate whether a number of tenants owned real estate in T\u00fcrkiye. For one of them, building plots and homes were found in their name. The tenant defended themselves by invoking privacy and anti-discrimination legislation and argued that the sworn declaration (verklaring op erewoord) was contrary to the Kaderbesluit Sociale Huur (Framework Decree on Social Rent).<\/p>\n<p>The justice of the peace rejected all defences. She held that it is part of a housing company&#8217;s statutory duty to guarantee that its homes, built with public money, go only to those entitled to them, and that investigation to that end is an essential instrument. The tenant was ordered to repay the benefit wrongly received, to pay the investigation costs and to pay the costs of the proceedings. Summary: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/judgment-hamme-2019\/\">Ruling of the justice of the peace in Hamme<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--tekst\" id=\"antwerpen-2020\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>Antwerp, 5 October 2020<\/h2><div class=\"bb-tekst\"><\/p>\n<p>In another case, social housing tenants appealed against a judgment of the justice of the peace. Investigation abroad had shown that land and apartments were registered partly in the name of one of them. On appeal they again invoked the right to privacy.<\/p>\n<p>The court of first instance of Antwerp upheld the judgment: concealing foreign real estate is a serious breach of the rules for social housing. The tenants had to repay 13,210.07 euros. In this case, the court did not award the costs of the report and the translation. Summary: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/judgment-antwerp-2020\/\">Judgment on appeal, Antwerp<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--tekst\" id=\"woonhaven\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>Justice of the peace court of Antwerp, Woonhaven case<\/h2><div class=\"bb-tekst\"><\/p>\n<p>Housing company Woonhaven claimed back from a tenant with property abroad the rent reduction of nine years, about 50,000 euros including investigation costs. The justice of the peace found for Woonhaven and formulated a principle: a housing company is not only permitted to investigate whether a tenant has property abroad, it is obliged to do so, given its remit and the waiting lists. It was the third case in a row that the city of Antwerp won on this point. Summary: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/judgment-woonhaven\/\">Woonhaven case<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--tekst\" id=\"hoogste-rechtscolleges\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>Constitutional Court 2024, Council of State 2024 and Court of Cassation 2026<\/h2><div class=\"bb-tekst\"><\/p>\n<p>The line taken by the justices of the peace has meanwhile been confirmed at the highest level and adjusted on one point.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>Constitutional Court<\/strong> ruled on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/constitutional-court-2024\/\">18 January 2024 (ruling 8\/2024)<\/a>, in a case of the housing company IJzer en Zee, that the property ownership condition is constitutional, including for tenants who bought a home in Morocco with an inheritance and a loan: anyone who owns real estate can in principle realise their right to housing themselves. On <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/court-of-cassation-2026\/\">26 March 2026<\/a>, the <strong>Court of Cassation (Hof van Cassatie)<\/strong> annulled a judgment of the court of first instance of Antwerp that had found in favour of a Woonhaven tenant because their share of a plot in Morocco had been acquired without consideration: the manner of acquisition is irrelevant.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>Council of State<\/strong> did, on 17 September 2024 (no. 260.645), annul the equation of partial with full ownership. Since 1 October 2025, only full ownership disqualifies; an inherited share no longer does. For the period from 1 March 2017 to 30 September 2025, the old rule remains applicable, so the reduction for those years remains recoverable. The three rulings are summarised under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/\">case law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--tekst\" id=\"privacy-en-antidiscriminatie\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>Privacy and anti-discrimination<\/h2><div class=\"bb-tekst\"><\/p>\n<p>In all three cases the tenants raised the same two defences, and in all three they were rejected.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Privacy.<\/strong> Consulting a property register abroad is a limited interference with private life that is justified by the housing company&#8217;s statutory mission and by the sworn declaration that the tenant signed themselves, stating that it will be verified. An investigation that remains limited to real estate in a person&#8217;s name, without observation or investigation into private life, stays within that limit. We therefore work exclusively in this way.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Anti-discrimination.<\/strong> An investigation is not discrimination as long as it is started on the basis of a concrete suspicion in a case and not on the basis of origin alone. That is also the line taken by the highest Dutch administrative court in comparable cases; for background, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/crvb-2018\/\">the Centrale Raad van Beroep (Dutch Central Appeals Tribunal) on investigation in T\u00fcrkiye<\/a>. A housing company does well to record in every case which suspicion gave rise to the investigation.<\/p>\n<p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--tekst\" id=\"onderzoekskosten\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>The investigation costs<\/h2><div class=\"bb-tekst\"><\/p>\n<p>The rulings differ on the investigation costs. In Hamme they were awarded; in Antwerp in 2020 they were not; in the Woonhaven case they formed part of the claim. The lesson is practical: always claim the investigation costs separately and with substantiation, with the invoice and an explanation of why the investigation was necessary, and submit the report with a sworn translation. For Flemish housing companies, there is also the reimbursement by Wonen in Vlaanderen: in full in the event of a hit and 75 percent without a hit, via the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/knowledge-base\/framework-agreement\/\">framework agreement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--tekst\" id=\"dossier-opbouwen\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>How to build the case file for the court<\/h2><div class=\"bb-tekst\"><\/p>\n<p>The rulings also show which documents a court expects. A carefully built case file usually contains:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>the signed sworn declaration at registration and in the lease, with the clause that it will be verified;<\/li>\n<li>a short note stating which concrete suspicion gave rise to the investigation and when;<\/li>\n<li>the investigation report with the extract from the foreign register, the underlying deeds and a sworn translation;<\/li>\n<li>the record of the hearing of the tenant after the investigation and any documents they submitted;<\/li>\n<li>the calculation of the social rent reduction per year, with the reference rent;<\/li>\n<li>the invoice for the investigation, claimed separately and explained.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>We supply the documents under 3 and explain the report if the court or the tenant&#8217;s lawyer asks questions. What the sworn declaration precisely is and what role it plays is described in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/knowledge-base\/sworn-declaration\/\">sworn declaration in social housing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--tekst\" id=\"wat-dit-betekent\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>What this means for your case<\/h2><div class=\"bb-tekst\"><\/p>\n<p>In summary, five points of attention follow from the case law discussed:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Investigation into ownership abroad is permitted and, according to the justice of the peace court of Antwerp, even mandatory for a housing company.<\/li>\n<li>Evidence from a foreign property register, gathered via local lawyers, was taken into account by the courts in the cases discussed, including on appeal. The court assesses the evidentiary value of the documents submitted case by case.<\/li>\n<li>The defences based on privacy and anti-discrimination were rejected in those cases, where the investigation was limited to ownership in a person&#8217;s name and started on a concrete suspicion.<\/li>\n<li>In those cases the court allowed recovery of the social rent reduction; the investigation costs were not awarded in every case.<\/li>\n<li>The property ownership condition itself is constitutional (Constitutional Court 2024) and foreign property is treated equally to Belgian property, regardless of how it was acquired (Court of Cassation 2026). Please note: since 1 October 2025, only full ownership counts.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Each ruling relates to a specific case and offers no guarantee for the outcome of another case. The court assesses the evidentiary value of the documents submitted. How we structure an investigation so that it aligns with these points of attention is described under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/how-we-work\/\">how we work<\/a>. The full overview of rulings is available at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/\">case law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Sources: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vrt.be\/vrtnws\/nl\/2019\/06\/18\/vrederechter-geeft-sociale-woningmaatschappij-gelijk-die-sociale\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">VRT NWS, 18 June 2019<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/businessam.be\/huisvestingsmaatschappijen-mogen-onderzoeksbureaus-inschakelen-om-na-te-gaan-of-sociale-huurders-bezit-hebben-in-het-buitenland\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Business AM, 11 December 2020<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/nl.const-court.be\/public\/n\/2024\/2024-008n.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Constitutional Court 8\/2024<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/juportal.be\/content\/ECLI:BE:CASS:2026:ARR.20260326.1N.4\/NL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Court of Cassation 26 March 2026<\/a>; Council of State 260.645 (<a href=\"https:\/\/droitpauvrete.be\/nl\/rvs-20240917-tijdschrift-4-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">summary<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/div><\/div><\/section><\/div><div class=\"bb-kolom bb-kolom--zij\"><aside class=\"bb-kaart bb-ihk\" id=\"in-het-kort\"><p class=\"bb-kicker\">Overview<\/p><h2 class=\"bb-ihk__kop\">In brief<\/h2><dl class=\"bb-ihk__lijst\"><div><dt>Lead time<\/dt><dd>usually 1\u20132 weeks<\/dd><\/div><\/dl><p class=\"bb-ihk__knop\"><a class=\"bb-knop\" href=\"\/en\/request-a-pre-check\/\">Request a pre-check<\/a><\/p><ul class=\"bb-ihk__trust\"><li><span class=\"bb-icoon material-symbols-outlined\" aria-hidden=\"true\">check_circle<\/span><span>Carried out in accordance with the GDPR<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/aside><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--panel bb-faq-sectie\" id=\"faq\" data-bg=\"panel\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2><div class=\"bb-faq\"><div class=\"bb-faq__item\"><h3 class=\"bb-faq__vraag\"><button type=\"button\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-controls=\"faq-faq-0\" id=\"faq-faq-0-knop\">Do these rulings also apply to OCMWs?<span class=\"bb-faq__icoon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/button><\/h3><div class=\"bb-faq__antwoord\" id=\"faq-faq-0\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"faq-faq-0-knop\"><p>The rulings concern social housing, but the reasoning on privacy, anti-discrimination and the usability of foreign register evidence applies equally to an OCMW's means investigation, which rests on its own statutory basis.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"bb-faq__item\"><h3 class=\"bb-faq__vraag\"><button type=\"button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"faq-faq-1\" id=\"faq-faq-1-knop\">Must the tenant be informed of the investigation in advance?<span class=\"bb-faq__icoon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/button><\/h3><div class=\"bb-faq__antwoord\" id=\"faq-faq-1\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"faq-faq-1-knop\" hidden><p>At registration and in the lease, the tenant has declared that their declaration will be verified. After the investigation, they are heard before the decision. Prior notification of the investigation itself is not required and would render the investigation pointless.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"bb-faq__item\"><h3 class=\"bb-faq__vraag\"><button type=\"button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"faq-faq-2\" id=\"faq-faq-2-knop\">Is a judgment of a justice of the peace a precedent?<span class=\"bb-faq__icoon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/button><\/h3><div class=\"bb-faq__antwoord\" id=\"faq-faq-2\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"faq-faq-2-knop\" hidden><p>Not in the formal sense: Belgium has no binding precedent. Three consistent rulings by different courts, one of them on appeal, do however give a clear direction, although each court assesses the specific case.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-kaarten bb-kaarten--kb\" id=\"gerelateerd\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>See also<\/h2><div class=\"bb-grid-3\"><article class=\"bb-kaart bb-kaart--kb\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"bb-kaart__beeld\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/bb\/jurisprudentie-768x429.webp\" alt=\"Case law\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\"><h3 class=\"bb-kaart__titel\">Case law<\/h3><p class=\"bb-kaart__tekst\">Case law on foreign real estate owned by social tenants: Hamme 2019, Antwerp 2020, Woonhaven, Constitutional Court 2024 and Cassation 2026.<\/p><a class=\"bb-knop bb-knop--tertiair\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/\">Read more <span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2192<\/span><\/a><\/article><article class=\"bb-kaart bb-kaart--kb\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"bb-kaart__beeld\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/bb\/woonmaatschappijen-768x429.webp\" alt=\"For housing companies\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\"><h3 class=\"bb-kaart__titel\">For housing companies<\/h3><p class=\"bb-kaart__tekst\">Asset investigation for housing companies: does a social tenant own real estate abroad? Pre-check and reporting for your case.<\/p><a class=\"bb-knop bb-knop--tertiair\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/services\/for-housing-companies\/\">Read more <span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2192<\/span><\/a><\/article><article class=\"bb-kaart bb-kaart--kb\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"bb-kaart__beeld\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/bb\/ocmw-768x429.webp\" alt=\"For OCMWs\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\"><h3 class=\"bb-kaart__titel\">For OCMWs<\/h3><p class=\"bb-kaart__tekst\">Asset investigation for OCMWs: is real estate abroad relevant to a living wage file? Investigation via local lawyers, in 45 countries.<\/p><a class=\"bb-knop bb-knop--tertiair\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/services\/for-public-social-welfare-centres\/\">Read more <span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2192<\/span><\/a><\/article><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-cta bb-cta--beeld\" id=\"cta\" data-bg=\"primary\" style=\"--bb-cta-img:url(https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/bb\/cta-band.webp)\"><div class=\"bb-container bb-cta__inhoud\"><h2 class=\"bb-cta__kop\">Discuss your case<\/h2><p class=\"bb-cta__tekst\">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.<\/p><p class=\"bb-cta__knop\"><a class=\"bb-knop bb-knop--invers\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/contact\/\">Discuss your case<\/a><\/p><p class=\"bb-cta__contact\"><a href=\"tel:+31851110123\">+31 (0)85 111 01 23<\/a><span aria-hidden=\"true\"> \u00b7 <\/span><a href=\"mailto:info@bureaubuitenland.be\">info@bureaubuitenland.be<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/section><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1473,"parent":586,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-604","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail"],"bb_rendered":"<section class=\"bb-sectie bb-artikelkop bb-artikelkop--beeld\" id=\"artikelkop\" data-bg=\"primary\" style=\"--bb-ak-img:url(https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/bb\/kb-rechter.webp)\"><div class=\"bb-container bb-artikelkop__inhoud\"><p class=\"bb-kicker\">KNOWLEDGE BASE \u00b7 CASE LAW<\/p><h1>What the Belgian courts say about foreign property investigation<\/h1><p class=\"bb-artikelkop__meta\">Reading time 7 minutes \u00b7 updated October 2026<\/p><div class=\"bb-artikelkop__kort\"><p class=\"bb-kicker\">In brief<\/p><p>May a housing company or public centre for social welfare (OCMW) have an investigation carried out into whether someone owns real estate abroad, and how does the court weigh the evidence? The Belgian courts have answered these questions on several occasions since 2019; in the cases discussed here, the investigating institution largely prevailed. This article sets the three most important rulings side by side and applies them to your case.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/section><nav class=\"bb-breadcrumb\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><ol><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/\">Home<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/knowledge-base\/\">Knowledge base<\/a><\/li><li><span aria-current=\"page\">What the Belgian courts say about foreign property investigation<\/span><\/li><\/ol><\/div><\/nav><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-kolommen\" id=\"inhoud\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><div class=\"bb-kolommen__grid\"><div class=\"bb-kolom bb-kolom--hoofd\"><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--tekst\" id=\"hamme-2019\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>Hamme, 6 June 2019<\/h2><div class=\"bb-tekst\"><p>Housing company De Zonnige Woonst had Bureaubuitenland investigate whether a number of tenants owned real estate in T\u00fcrkiye. For one of them, building plots and homes were found in their name. The tenant defended themselves by invoking privacy and anti-discrimination legislation and argued that the sworn declaration (verklaring op erewoord) was contrary to the Kaderbesluit Sociale Huur (Framework Decree on Social Rent).<\/p>\n<p>The justice of the peace rejected all defences. She held that it is part of a housing company's statutory duty to guarantee that its homes, built with public money, go only to those entitled to them, and that investigation to that end is an essential instrument. The tenant was ordered to repay the benefit wrongly received, to pay the investigation costs and to pay the costs of the proceedings. Summary: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/judgment-hamme-2019\/\">Ruling of the justice of the peace in Hamme<\/a>.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--tekst\" id=\"antwerpen-2020\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>Antwerp, 5 October 2020<\/h2><div class=\"bb-tekst\"><p>In another case, social housing tenants appealed against a judgment of the justice of the peace. Investigation abroad had shown that land and apartments were registered partly in the name of one of them. On appeal they again invoked the right to privacy.<\/p>\n<p>The court of first instance of Antwerp upheld the judgment: concealing foreign real estate is a serious breach of the rules for social housing. The tenants had to repay 13,210.07 euros. In this case, the court did not award the costs of the report and the translation. Summary: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/judgment-antwerp-2020\/\">Judgment on appeal, Antwerp<\/a>.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--tekst\" id=\"woonhaven\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>Justice of the peace court of Antwerp, Woonhaven case<\/h2><div class=\"bb-tekst\"><p>Housing company Woonhaven claimed back from a tenant with property abroad the rent reduction of nine years, about 50,000 euros including investigation costs. The justice of the peace found for Woonhaven and formulated a principle: a housing company is not only permitted to investigate whether a tenant has property abroad, it is obliged to do so, given its remit and the waiting lists. It was the third case in a row that the city of Antwerp won on this point. Summary: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/judgment-woonhaven\/\">Woonhaven case<\/a>.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--tekst\" id=\"hoogste-rechtscolleges\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>Constitutional Court 2024, Council of State 2024 and Court of Cassation 2026<\/h2><div class=\"bb-tekst\"><p>The line taken by the justices of the peace has meanwhile been confirmed at the highest level and adjusted on one point.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>Constitutional Court<\/strong> ruled on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/constitutional-court-2024\/\">18 January 2024 (ruling 8\/2024)<\/a>, in a case of the housing company IJzer en Zee, that the property ownership condition is constitutional, including for tenants who bought a home in Morocco with an inheritance and a loan: anyone who owns real estate can in principle realise their right to housing themselves. On <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/court-of-cassation-2026\/\">26 March 2026<\/a>, the <strong>Court of Cassation (Hof van Cassatie)<\/strong> annulled a judgment of the court of first instance of Antwerp that had found in favour of a Woonhaven tenant because their share of a plot in Morocco had been acquired without consideration: the manner of acquisition is irrelevant.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>Council of State<\/strong> did, on 17 September 2024 (no. 260.645), annul the equation of partial with full ownership. Since 1 October 2025, only full ownership disqualifies; an inherited share no longer does. For the period from 1 March 2017 to 30 September 2025, the old rule remains applicable, so the reduction for those years remains recoverable. The three rulings are summarised under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/\">case law<\/a>.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--tekst\" id=\"privacy-en-antidiscriminatie\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>Privacy and anti-discrimination<\/h2><div class=\"bb-tekst\"><p>In all three cases the tenants raised the same two defences, and in all three they were rejected.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Privacy.<\/strong> Consulting a property register abroad is a limited interference with private life that is justified by the housing company's statutory mission and by the sworn declaration that the tenant signed themselves, stating that it will be verified. An investigation that remains limited to real estate in a person's name, without observation or investigation into private life, stays within that limit. We therefore work exclusively in this way.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Anti-discrimination.<\/strong> An investigation is not discrimination as long as it is started on the basis of a concrete suspicion in a case and not on the basis of origin alone. That is also the line taken by the highest Dutch administrative court in comparable cases; for background, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/crvb-2018\/\">the Centrale Raad van Beroep (Dutch Central Appeals Tribunal) on investigation in T\u00fcrkiye<\/a>. A housing company does well to record in every case which suspicion gave rise to the investigation.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--tekst\" id=\"onderzoekskosten\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>The investigation costs<\/h2><div class=\"bb-tekst\"><p>The rulings differ on the investigation costs. In Hamme they were awarded; in Antwerp in 2020 they were not; in the Woonhaven case they formed part of the claim. The lesson is practical: always claim the investigation costs separately and with substantiation, with the invoice and an explanation of why the investigation was necessary, and submit the report with a sworn translation. For Flemish housing companies, there is also the reimbursement by Wonen in Vlaanderen: in full in the event of a hit and 75 percent without a hit, via the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/knowledge-base\/framework-agreement\/\">framework agreement<\/a>.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--tekst\" id=\"dossier-opbouwen\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>How to build the case file for the court<\/h2><div class=\"bb-tekst\"><p>The rulings also show which documents a court expects. A carefully built case file usually contains:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>the signed sworn declaration at registration and in the lease, with the clause that it will be verified;<\/li>\n<li>a short note stating which concrete suspicion gave rise to the investigation and when;<\/li>\n<li>the investigation report with the extract from the foreign register, the underlying deeds and a sworn translation;<\/li>\n<li>the record of the hearing of the tenant after the investigation and any documents they submitted;<\/li>\n<li>the calculation of the social rent reduction per year, with the reference rent;<\/li>\n<li>the invoice for the investigation, claimed separately and explained.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>We supply the documents under 3 and explain the report if the court or the tenant's lawyer asks questions. What the sworn declaration precisely is and what role it plays is described in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/knowledge-base\/sworn-declaration\/\">sworn declaration in social housing<\/a>.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--tekst\" id=\"wat-dit-betekent\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>What this means for your case<\/h2><div class=\"bb-tekst\"><p>In summary, five points of attention follow from the case law discussed:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Investigation into ownership abroad is permitted and, according to the justice of the peace court of Antwerp, even mandatory for a housing company.<\/li>\n<li>Evidence from a foreign property register, gathered via local lawyers, was taken into account by the courts in the cases discussed, including on appeal. The court assesses the evidentiary value of the documents submitted case by case.<\/li>\n<li>The defences based on privacy and anti-discrimination were rejected in those cases, where the investigation was limited to ownership in a person's name and started on a concrete suspicion.<\/li>\n<li>In those cases the court allowed recovery of the social rent reduction; the investigation costs were not awarded in every case.<\/li>\n<li>The property ownership condition itself is constitutional (Constitutional Court 2024) and foreign property is treated equally to Belgian property, regardless of how it was acquired (Court of Cassation 2026). Please note: since 1 October 2025, only full ownership counts.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Each ruling relates to a specific case and offers no guarantee for the outcome of another case. The court assesses the evidentiary value of the documents submitted. How we structure an investigation so that it aligns with these points of attention is described under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/how-we-work\/\">how we work<\/a>. The full overview of rulings is available at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/\">case law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Sources: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vrt.be\/vrtnws\/nl\/2019\/06\/18\/vrederechter-geeft-sociale-woningmaatschappij-gelijk-die-sociale\/\">VRT NWS, 18 June 2019<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/businessam.be\/huisvestingsmaatschappijen-mogen-onderzoeksbureaus-inschakelen-om-na-te-gaan-of-sociale-huurders-bezit-hebben-in-het-buitenland\/\">Business AM, 11 December 2020<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/nl.const-court.be\/public\/n\/2024\/2024-008n.pdf\">Constitutional Court 8\/2024<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/juportal.be\/content\/ECLI:BE:CASS:2026:ARR.20260326.1N.4\/NL\">Court of Cassation 26 March 2026<\/a>; Council of State 260.645 (<a href=\"https:\/\/droitpauvrete.be\/nl\/rvs-20240917-tijdschrift-4-2024\/\">summary<\/a>).<\/em><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/section><\/div><div class=\"bb-kolom bb-kolom--zij\"><aside class=\"bb-kaart bb-ihk\" id=\"in-het-kort\"><p class=\"bb-kicker\">Overview<\/p><h2 class=\"bb-ihk__kop\">In brief<\/h2><dl class=\"bb-ihk__lijst\"><div><dt>Lead time<\/dt><dd>usually 1\u20132 weeks<\/dd><\/div><\/dl><p class=\"bb-ihk__knop\"><a class=\"bb-knop\" href=\"\/en\/request-a-pre-check\/\">Request a pre-check<\/a><\/p><ul class=\"bb-ihk__trust\"><li><span class=\"bb-icoon material-symbols-outlined\" aria-hidden=\"true\">check_circle<\/span><span>Carried out in accordance with the GDPR<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/aside><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-sectie--panel bb-faq-sectie\" id=\"faq\" data-bg=\"panel\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2><div class=\"bb-faq\"><div class=\"bb-faq__item\"><h3 class=\"bb-faq__vraag\"><button type=\"button\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-controls=\"faq-faq-0\" id=\"faq-faq-0-knop\">Do these rulings also apply to OCMWs?<span class=\"bb-faq__icoon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/button><\/h3><div class=\"bb-faq__antwoord\" id=\"faq-faq-0\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"faq-faq-0-knop\"><p>The rulings concern social housing, but the reasoning on privacy, anti-discrimination and the usability of foreign register evidence applies equally to an OCMW's means investigation, which rests on its own statutory basis.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"bb-faq__item\"><h3 class=\"bb-faq__vraag\"><button type=\"button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"faq-faq-1\" id=\"faq-faq-1-knop\">Must the tenant be informed of the investigation in advance?<span class=\"bb-faq__icoon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/button><\/h3><div class=\"bb-faq__antwoord\" id=\"faq-faq-1\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"faq-faq-1-knop\" hidden><p>At registration and in the lease, the tenant has declared that their declaration will be verified. After the investigation, they are heard before the decision. Prior notification of the investigation itself is not required and would render the investigation pointless.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"bb-faq__item\"><h3 class=\"bb-faq__vraag\"><button type=\"button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"faq-faq-2\" id=\"faq-faq-2-knop\">Is a judgment of a justice of the peace a precedent?<span class=\"bb-faq__icoon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/button><\/h3><div class=\"bb-faq__antwoord\" id=\"faq-faq-2\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"faq-faq-2-knop\" hidden><p>Not in the formal sense: Belgium has no binding precedent. Three consistent rulings by different courts, one of them on appeal, do however give a clear direction, although each court assesses the specific case.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-kaarten bb-kaarten--kb\" id=\"gerelateerd\" data-bg=\"paper\"><div class=\"bb-container\"><h2>See also<\/h2><div class=\"bb-grid-3\"><article class=\"bb-kaart bb-kaart--kb\"><img class=\"bb-kaart__beeld\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/bb\/jurisprudentie-768x429.webp\" alt=\"Case law\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\"><h3 class=\"bb-kaart__titel\">Case law<\/h3><p class=\"bb-kaart__tekst\">Case law on foreign real estate owned by social tenants: Hamme 2019, Antwerp 2020, Woonhaven, Constitutional Court 2024 and Cassation 2026.<\/p><a class=\"bb-knop bb-knop--tertiair\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/case-law\/\">Read more <span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2192<\/span><\/a><\/article><article class=\"bb-kaart bb-kaart--kb\"><img class=\"bb-kaart__beeld\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/bb\/woonmaatschappijen-768x429.webp\" alt=\"For housing companies\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\"><h3 class=\"bb-kaart__titel\">For housing companies<\/h3><p class=\"bb-kaart__tekst\">Asset investigation for housing companies: does a social tenant own real estate abroad? Pre-check and reporting for your case.<\/p><a class=\"bb-knop bb-knop--tertiair\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/services\/for-housing-companies\/\">Read more <span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2192<\/span><\/a><\/article><article class=\"bb-kaart bb-kaart--kb\"><img class=\"bb-kaart__beeld\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/bb\/ocmw-768x429.webp\" alt=\"For OCMWs\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\"><h3 class=\"bb-kaart__titel\">For OCMWs<\/h3><p class=\"bb-kaart__tekst\">Asset investigation for OCMWs: is real estate abroad relevant to a living wage file? Investigation via local lawyers, in 45 countries.<\/p><a class=\"bb-knop bb-knop--tertiair\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/services\/for-public-social-welfare-centres\/\">Read more <span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2192<\/span><\/a><\/article><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"bb-sectie bb-cta bb-cta--beeld\" id=\"cta\" data-bg=\"primary\" style=\"--bb-cta-img:url(https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/bb\/cta-band.webp)\"><div class=\"bb-container bb-cta__inhoud\"><h2 class=\"bb-cta__kop\">Discuss your case<\/h2><p class=\"bb-cta__tekst\">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.<\/p><p class=\"bb-cta__knop\"><a class=\"bb-knop bb-knop--invers\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/contact\/\">Discuss your case<\/a><\/p><p class=\"bb-cta__contact\"><a href=\"tel:+31851110123\">+31 (0)85 111 01 23<\/a><span aria-hidden=\"true\"> \u00b7 <\/span><a href=\"mailto:info@bureaubuitenland.be\">info@bureaubuitenland.be<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/section>\n","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2271,"href":"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/604\/revisions\/2271"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/586"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bureaubuitenland.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}