Forced co-ownership regime gets a sustainability-push

On 25 September, Members of the Chamber of Representatives proposed a new draft law that aims at addressing the issue of sustainability in Belgium's building stock. Approximately 25% of residents in Belgium live in apartments, many of which are part of buildings built over 35 years ago. So far, only 1% of houses and 4% of apartments have been given an EPC A-label. The forced co-ownership regime is often seen as an additional obstacle to coming to agreements on what should be done, how and when and starting necessary work.

The draft law – Proposition de loi modifiant le Code civil en ce qui concerne la copropriété forcée d’immeubles ou de groupes d’immeubles afin d’éliminer les obstacles à l’amélioration de la durabilité des appartements – Wetsvoorstel tot wijziging van het Burgerlijk Wetboek met betrekking tot de gedwongen mede-eigendom van gebouwen of groepen van gebouwen, teneinde drempels voor de verduurzaming van appartementen weg te nemen (“Draft Law”) – suggests several solutions to ease the complexity of the decision-making process within the general meeting of co-owners and to ensure that the co-ownership associations take steps towards improving durability.

As the Draft Law is still under discussion in the Chambers of Representatives, we provide you with an initial overview of the proposed rules.