In Wallonia, the responsibility of constructing student accommodation does not fall under the government’s purview. However, Christophe Collignon, the minister responsible for housing, has implemented several measures to address the needs of the student population. Collignon decried the increasing precariousness among students and noted that the more educated individuals are, the more likely they are to secure employment. He also criticized the high cost of rents for student accommodation, which is regarding three times higher per square meter than the rent for primary residences in the area.
To combat the issue, the Wallonia recovery plan has allocated a budget of 30 million euros to construct 500 kots. A call for projects is set to be launched by July 2023, with universities and housing companies invited to participate. Walloon public housing companies will receive additional subsidies for building student accommodations, and 14,000 euros extra will be given for eco-built structures. Social real estate agencies will also have the opportunity to offer apartments to students, with an incentive of 10,000 euros per kot planned.
Collignon has ordered an indicative grid of kots rents, similar to the one in place for conventional dwellings. The Center for the Study of Sustainable Habitat is responsible for this task. The zero-rate loan mechanism for rental guarantees will also be reviewed to better target students who work to pay for their studies. The government’s efforts over the past three years have been significant in improving student accommodation in Wallonia.
The construction of student accommodation is not, at first sight, the responsibility of Wallonia. With regard to housing, however, the minister who manages this competence, Christophe Collignon (PS) has put in place a series of measures intended for the student population in Wallonia. “This is something important because even if we are in a country where access to studies is more democratic than elsewhere, we can still clearly see that there is more and more precariousness among students. It is not normal that young people cannot study because, financially, they are badly born”. The Minister also makes this simple but indisputable observation: “The more you are trained, the more you have a chance of getting a job”. And regrets that the rents that are practiced today on the rental market for student accommodation are “excessive”. “The price per square meter of student accommodation is three times higher than for rentals as a main residence in Wallonia”exposes Christophe Collignon. In addition, the offer in this area is “deficit and the rate of production of kots is lower than the growth in demand, which reinforces the increase in rents”.
Thirty million euros
It is for all these reasons that within the framework of the Wallonia recovery plan, a budget of 30 million euros intended for the construction of 500 kots has been reserved. “A call for projects will be launched for July 2023 at the latest. We need to change the legislation to allow universities to participate, but it is in progress. This call for projects will also be open to housing companies.”
These same Walloon public housing companies will receive additional subsidies if they decide to build student accommodation. “Previously, the subsidy was 150,000 euros for a building with five bedrooms, now the subsidy will reach 245,000 euros for five bedrooms as well.” An additional financial incentive of 14,000 euros is provided if these public student accommodations are eco-built.
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The AIS (social real estate agencies) will also be able to put apartments on the market. “An incentive of 10,000 euros per kot is planned. The objective is to quickly make 300 kots available to students.”
Christophe Collignon has also ordered an indicative grid of kots rents, on the model of the one that the government has put in place for the rents of conventional dwellings. “It is technically difficult to achieve because the sources to do so are sometimes complicated to identify, but we should achieve it by this summer”. The Center for the Study of Sustainable Habitat is in charge of this mission.
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Finally, the zero-rate loan mechanism for rental guarantees which was put in place several months ago will be reviewed. “It doesn’t work very well and so I decided to reorient it only towards students who work to pay for their studies and to target communication towards this audience”.
Over the past three years, the Walloon government will probably have done more for student accommodation than all its predecessors put together.
In conclusion, the issue of student accommodation in Wallonia is being finally addressed by the government’s actions. With the increasing number of students that face financial insecurity and the high cost of rent, the measures taken by Minister Christophe Collignon show a determination to improve the situation. The reserved budget of 30 million euros for the construction of 500 kots, subsidies for public student accommodations, and the review of the zero-rate loan mechanism are all steps in the right direction. Hopefully, these initiatives will have a significant impact and make student accommodation more accessible and affordable for all.
