Each month, at the municipal council, we raise questions and put forward concrete proposals for a greener, fairer municipality.

Oral question from Mr. Pieterjan Vandenboer on the submission deadline for the additional Renolution grant

Currently, the municipal complementary grant to the Renolution grants of the Brussels Region is not available. This grant covers the regional grants for thermal insulation of the roof, walls, floor, and subfloor, façade improvements, demolition for soil permeability, and the installation of green roofs or water-retaining roofs. The municipal grant amounts to a maximum of €400.

The municipality’s website indicates that the annual budget allocated to this grant for the year 2025 is still under review. As a result, it is currently not possible to process new applications. Consequently, residents cannot submit their requests, even if they already have the approval certificate from the Brussels Region for the Renolution grant. This has been the case since November 2024. However, it remains possible to apply for the regional grants for renovation work, provided that the final invoice dates from 2024 and that the application is submitted within 12 months.

That said, the six-month deadline to submit the municipal grant application after the Brussels Region’s approval still applies, according to the regulations. Therefore, some residents who carried out renovation work during the validity period of the regulation (i.e., from April 24, 2023, to June 30, 2025) risk missing out on their complementary grant.

The regulation states that grants will be awarded within the limits of the available budgetary credits. However, it seems unfair that some residents may not be eligible for the grant—not because the funds have been exhausted, but because administrative approval is delayed. This creates a form of arbitrariness that is difficult to justify.

Hence, my questions to the executive college:

• Does the college plan to allocate a budget for the Renolution complementary grant in the 2025 budget?
• Does the college plan to amend the regulation to temporarily extend the deadline for submitting applications for the period during which the grant was unavailable, i.e., from November 2024 until the budget’s approval?
• Does the college plan to grant exemptions for these applications?