“Residents won’t lose homes over roof insulation”
Flanders’ housing minister has said that, although the government will require houses to have sufficient roof insulation over the next five years, nobody will lose their home if they do not conform
Press reports denied
Homans wants to upgrade 400,000 homes in Flanders that lack sufficient roof insulation. If owners fail to install insulation by 2020, the houses will be declared “unsuitable for habitation”.
Homans stressed that the new measure was not the same as declaring a house “unfit for habitation”, which requires it to be vacated because it is unsafe. The non-conforming houses would be deemed “unsuitable for habitation” because they do not conform to standards laid down by the government of Flanders.
Failure to install roof insulation would result in a fine, but no one would be forced to leave their home, she insisted. “This measure is not aimed at removing housing stock from the market, particularly not in the light of current demographic challenges,” she said. “It is important that we implement ambitious policies to improve the quality of housing, but I would never permit people to be thrown out of their house because of poor roof insulation.”
Photo: IngImage
Sustainable energy
new wind turbines created in Flanders in 2013
million kilowattage of green energy in 2012
percentage of green energy used in Flanders in 2012
