This Belgian couple was shocked when they discovered this ‘stupid’ law!

Marlies, 31, and Ben, 34, each own a home and want to add their assets to their marriage. But they recently learned that this will come with huge costs!

Ben explains that the “ridiculous” consequences of the Flanders regulations are that they have cost them between €80,000 and €100,000 in extra costs. In the HLN column.

Currently, Marlies, a teacher, and Ben, an IT specialist, each own a house in Schellebelle, East Flanders. “We met in 2019, not long after I bought my house,” says Ben. Six months ago, Marlies bought her house a few blocks away. The couple now lives in Ben’s house after moving into Marlies’s. With one child and another on the way, they are planning to renovate their current house and are considering getting married to simplify administrative procedures. They want to bring both properties into the marriage community for better mutual protection and for the future of their children.

However, as notarial lawyer Bram Maeschaelck explains, they discovered that their marriage triggered an obligation to renovate both houses, which was equivalent to “buying” a house for a partner. “The government considers this action as ‘buying’ for your partner, which triggers the obligation to renovate. The same applies when donating a house.” The houses, although inhabited, carry the EPC F energy label, which was not a problem when they were purchased in 2019. But now, the first house needs renovation works, which are estimated to cost at least €48,000 to meet the new standards. Maris and Ben must therefore renovate both of their houses within five years. “These are not slums,” Ben laments. “We live in both houses,” he adds. Ben and Maris have not yet made a final decision, but they regret that this renovation obligation affects their future plans. “We will have to sell one of the two properties or renovate both of them minimally, but this will cost us €100,000 more,” Ben concludes.