Which Region should you buy in in 2022?

Are you planning to buy a property next year? If you have not yet decided which Region to invest in, it is worth considering the changes planned for 2022. Indeed, Flanders has announced a reform of registration duties.

When purchasing a property, you must pay various costs, including registration duties. As this is a regional responsibility, the amount varies between Regions.
For 2022, the Flemish government has announced some good news: registration duties are expected to fall from 6% to 3% when purchasing a family home. This reduced rate applies only if you do not already fully own a home or building plot.
However, please note that the rate in this Region will rise from 10% to 12% when purchasing another property (second home, investment, etc.).

This Flemish reform of registration duties is therefore advantageous in one situation, but not in the other. It is up to you to determine which option is most beneficial if you are about to invest in Flanders or are planning to do so.

What about the other Regions?

In the Walloon and Brussels Regions, registration duties are set at 12.5%, whether or not the property is your own home.
However, these two Regions still offer an advantage in the form of an allowance.
The allowance in the Brussels-Capital Region is €175,000. This means that you no longer pay registration duties on the first €175,000 of your property purchase. To find out whether you are eligible for this allowance, click here.
As for Wallonia, the situation remains unchanged: a rate of 12.5%, together with a small allowance of €20,000, resulting in a saving of €2,500.

Ultimately, to answer the question “which Region is the most advantageous for buying in 2022?”: it depends on the property’s purchase price.

For properties priced below €230,000, Brussels remains the best option if you are eligible for the allowance. However, for properties priced above that amount, Flanders becomes an attractive option, particularly when purchasing a family home.

L’Echo has summarised the situation in an image to help make things clearer.