Which expenses related to housing costs are covered by the legal mobility budget?
If you live within 10 km of your normal place of work, you can finance rent, mortgage interests or capital payments with the mobility budget
Written byAudrey Stampaert
Last updated 1 year ago by Jeroen Beuls
Living close to work is a sustainable mobility solution par excellence. That is why you can finance your rent or interest or capital reimbursements on your mortgage loan with your legal mobility budget if you live within 10 km (as the crow flies) of your normal place of work.
What's your 'normal place of work'? 👨💻
Is your normal place of work explicitly mentioned in your employment contract AND do you usually work there? Then your 'normal place of work' is the place mentioned in your contract
Is your normal place of work explicitly mentioned on your employment contract BUT do you usually (more than 50%) work somewhere else (like from home)? Then your 'normal place of work' can be your actual place of work. Be careful that your employer needs to prove this to the Administration.
Your normal place of work is NOT explicitly mentioned on your employment contract OR your employment contract states you have a variable place of work? Then your 'normal place of work' is the place from which you fulfill the most important part of your obligations to your employer
Example: you work from home for more than 50% of your time. Then your normal place of work is your home. This means that you live within 10 km of your normal place of work and you can finance your rent or interest or capital reimbursements with your mobility budget.
Important! Your normal place of work can be determined every month. If you have multiple places of work in the same month, the place where you spend the most amount working hours is your 'normal place of work' for that month.
Important! If you deviate from your place of employment in your employment contract, you need to have a written evidence to prove where your 'normal place of work' then is. This written evidence can be your work calendar, a HR-software (eg. Officient). Based on this evidence you can determine if you are eligible for the housing costs in that month or not. An inspection of the Administration will check this data.
Which housing costs are covered? ✅
The mobility budget may be used to finance the rent or interest or capital reimbursements on mortgage loans, relating to the place of residence which is within a radius of 10 km from the normal place of work. Some things to take into account:
In case you live alone or with your partner or family, the mobility budget can be used to finance the full amount of the rent or interest or capital reimbursements on mortgage loan
In case you co-house with non-family members, the mobility budget can only be used to finance your part of the rent or interest or capital reimbursements on mortgage loan
It is not possible to finance rent and mortgage interest or capital reimbursements twice with a legal mobility budget (e.g. partner 1 finances the full rent via mobility budget 1 and partner 2 does the same via mobility budget 2)
It is possible to finance the housing costs through different mobility budgets (e.g. partner 1 finances 50% of the rents through mobility budget 1, and partner 2 does the same through mobility budget 2).
Your mobility budget can finance the interest or capital reimbursements on mortgage loans for the purchase or renovation of your home under the condition that this home is used as your primary residence
The term rent includes both the rent as well as common charges insofar as these are legally owed to the landlord for the use of the rented property.
What is not covered? 🚫
Other housing costs such as electricity, gas and water
Moving costs such as a lift or a moving company. Rental of a van is allowed (like other rental cars).