Brussels parliament agrees to pay out renovation subsidies

Anyone carrying out renovation works on their property this year with the hope of receiving a government grant to help foot the bill will be relieved that the Renolution grants will be maintained, following a public outcry when they were withdrawn mid-year when the funds ran out.

After the unanimous approval of a parliamentary resolution earlier this month, outgoing Brussels minister-president Rudi Vervoort confirmed that the Brussels government, in collaboration with future coalition partners, has established the procedure for relaunching grants for 2024.

Only Benjamin Dalle from the Flemish Christian Democratic CD&V party abstained from the vote.

These subsidies came into effect in January 2022 to support building renovation in the Brussels region. A victim of their success, their allocated budget had run dry by July this year.

This led the regional government to stop accepting new grant applications from 16 August, announcing this bitter pill only a few days beforehand. Many homeowners who had already started their renovation work, expecting the grant to be paid, were left potentially having to foot the entire bill by themselves.

In response, the Liberals, Socialists and Les Engagés (centre-right) groups submitted a resolution requesting the government to resume processing applications for work carried out in 2024, and to ensure that grants are paid by 2025. They also demanded a budget adjustment proposal for 2024 to secure the necessary funds.

Vervoort said that some €71.8 million was needed to pay for pending grants. An additional €30 million would be required for Brussels residents’ applications submitted after the reopening date, according to the capital’s administrations responsible for the process.

These applications must include a final invoice by 31 December 2024. Some grants would be paid in 2025 and accounted for in the 2025 budget.