The Brussels regional government has paid out a record amount of €135 million in renovation premiums to its residents in 2024 – nearly twice as much as the expected €69 million.
The region initially approved a budget of €69 million for the premiums, but the amount finally paid out was €135.4 million as the number of premiums reached a record high, L'Echo reports. As a result, the Capital Region's already substantial deficit has grown an extra €66 million.
"The suspension of premiums last August and the announcement in the press by certain parties (Francophone liberals MR) that they would be abolished led to an influx of applications in just a few days," said the office of outgoing Brussels Minister-President, Rudi Vervoort (PS).
Between 1 January and 25 July 2024 (when it was announced that the premiums would be suspended in mid-August), the institutions that oversee the subsidies received 10,515 applications. In the three weeks between 25 July and the day applications closed on 16 August, another 6,670 applications for premiums were submitted – more than half of the amount issued in the seven months previously.
Unexpected demand
2023 saw a total of 20,638 applications for renovation premiums accepted by the Brussels Government, compared to 23,638 in 2024. More than 5,000 of last year's premiums are still awaiting completion. They will be processed by Brussels Environment this year.
For all applications submitted before 16 August, the budget was already short by €38 million, L'Echo reported in September. An assessment carried out later showed that a total of €72 million was needed to close the gap.
"We expected the budget to be too short but we could not have foreseen the extent of the overspend," outgoing Brussels Environment Minister Alain Maron (Ecolo) told the newspaper. "We were well aware that this bonus system needed to be reformed."
To honour the commitments to the capital's residents who started renovation works and to meet all the applications accepted in 2024, the Brussels Government introduced a "budget deliberation" last autumn. This allows them to increase the amounts that were earmarked for certain expenses in case of an "unforeseen event" or "necessity".
What will happen with the grants in the future will depend on the formation of the new Brussels Government.
