[*https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2023/04/14/153-sociale-woningen-vrijgekomen-van-frauduleuze-huurders-met-ee/*](https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2023/04/14/153-sociale-woningen-vrijgekomen-van-frauduleuze-huurders-met-ee/)

*Since the Flemish government took up the fight against fraud on the social rental market two years ago, 153 homes have become available from social tenants who turned out to have property abroad. The housing companies were also able to reclaim a total of 2 million euros in illegally obtained social discounts. This is evident from figures from Flemish Minister of Housing Matthias Diependaele (N-VA).*

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As if the waiting list of +180.000 people that deserve a social home would be solved by taking out these 150 defrauders…

Dear “objective” and “impartial” VRT journalists: do not allow that the reality ruins a politically biased misleading headline, that can be used for “criminalizing” social tenants, and for showing the NVA as a “heroic” fighter against this strong and usual corruption amongst the people with lower incomes…

Especially, never, never use a head line that shows better the reality, for instance:

# “99,9% of the social tenants comply with the regulations”

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edit: [source](https://cemonitor.be/en/indicator/housing/desired-changes/number-of-rented-social-housing-units/) showing that there is about +150.000 rented social houses in Flanders.

7 comments

  2. How much did they spend on that investigation on 150.000 families? I guess that would cost more than 2 million

  3. Why do you find a way to make this negative?

    It’s a good thing no? Leeches get kicked out, money is retrieved, more housing for those who actually need it.

  5. Isn’t this just a continuation of the story of people with property outside belgium that they haven’t declared and getting social housing being checked?

    The article even admits that it’s not nearly enough to cover the 180.000 people waiting on social housing.
    But 153 living spaces freeing up is better than nothing imo.

    And it’s stated that cost is less than gains. So they’d be stupid to not go for it.

    Like this is not a bad thing. Nobody says people in social housing are bad. Just that some people didn’t deserve the housing and now have to move out and repay what they shouldn’t have gotten in the first place. Nobody (so far) is criminilising people in social housing. If they do they are idiots to begin with.

  6. >As if the waiting list of +180.000 people that deserve a social home would be solved by taking out these 150 defrauders…

    It’s called a deterrent. Out of those 180.000 – which is too high a number imo – many with ill intentions of them may take themselves off the list knowing that there are strict investigations and punishments.

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