Schauvliege wants mobility score for houses

Flemish environment minister Joke Schauvliege (CD&V) is working on an 'M-score' or mobility score for homes, to serve as an indicator of how accessible a home is. "If the testing goes well, then I want to make it mandatory," said Schauvliege on Tuesday in De Morgen.

The lower the M-score, the better the connection between the house and major roads or public transport. A lower M-score also indicates that the house is close to important public facilities such as schools, hospitals and shops. Schauvliege’s aim is to see the M-score displayed on documents as a coloured bar, with a scale from green to red, much like the current Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

"The aim is to raise consumer awareness," Schauvliege explains. "When buying a car, consumers know all the options. But when young people buy a house or a piece of land, for example, they do not always take into account that they might later have children, who will someday go to school. Potential home buyers need to know exactly how accessible a house is.”

The University of Ghent currently receives funding to develop the assessment, and should have the new calculation formula ready by the end of this year.