What do the Brussels terms mean when you buy a house?
In Brussels the documents of a purchase often come in French, with abbreviations such as PRAS, PPAS and RRU. Below are the Brussels terms by subject, with the term in the other language and what it means. This is not legal advice: for your case, ask the notary or the municipality.
Plans and rules
| Term | In French | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| PRAS (Regional Land Use Plan) | PRAS | The Region’s plan that gives each zone a designated use; every permit must comply with it. |
| PPAS (special land use plan) | PPAS | A municipal plan for a neighbourhood or a few blocks, refining the PRAS. |
| PAD (master development plan) | PAD | A Government plan for a large area, since 2018; what it makes binding prevails. |
| RRU (Regional Urban Planning Regulation) | RRU | The building rules for all of Brussels: depth, height, habitability, accessibility and parking. |
| Municipal planning regulation (RCU) | RCU | A municipality’s own building rules, for all of its territory or part of it. |
| Subdivision permit | permis de lotir | The permit that divides land into plots, with rules for whoever builds there. |
| CoBAT (Brussels Code of Spatial Planning) | CoBAT | The Brussels law on plans, permits, heritage and pre-emption. |
A purchase involves other points too, such as who provides which information on a plot and the Brussels EPB certificate. What a report on an address costs is listed under Perceelscan pricing. You can work out the taxes on a purchase for free with the registration duties calculator and the property tax calculator.
Permits
| Term | In French | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Planning permit (permis d’urbanisme) | permis d'urbanisme | Permission to build, alter, demolish or change the use. |
| Delegated official (fonctionnaire délégué) | fonctionnaire délégué | The urban.brussels official who decides among other things on protected properties and public projects. |
| Public inquiry | enquête publique | The period in which neighbours can view an application and comment on it. |
| Consultation committee | commission de concertation | The committee of municipality and Region that gives its opinion after a public inquiry. |
| Planning information (renseignements urbanistiques) | renseignements urbanistiques | The municipal document the seller gives the buyer before the deed. |
| Regularisation permit | permis de régularisation | A permit for works already carried out without one. |
| Minor works decree (arrêté de minime importance) | arrêté de minime importance | The decree of 13 November 2008 listing the works that need no permit. |
| Nova and openpermits.brussels | Nova, openpermits.brussels | The regional register of permits and the website where you look them up by address. |
Heritage
| Term | In French | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Listing (classement) | classement | The strongest measure: a listed property may not be demolished. |
| Safeguarding list | liste de sauvegarde | A lighter measure, with a duty of upkeep and conditions set by the decision. |
| Inventory of the built heritage | inventaire du patrimoine immobilier | The list of valuable buildings; no ban, but the consultation committee gives an opinion on an application. |
| Protection zone | zone de protection | The zone around a listed property where works that change the views need an opinion. |
| CRMS | CRMS | The Royal Commission for Monuments and Sites, which gives opinions on heritage. |
Soil, energy and pre-emption
| Term | In French | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Soil certificate (attestation du sol) | attestation du sol | The Brussels Environment document needed for every transfer of a plot. |
| Soil condition inventory | inventaire de l'état du sol | The list of plots with their soil category, from 0 to 4. |
| Soil survey (reconnaissance de l’état du sol) | reconnaissance de l'état du sol | The first survey, required before selling a plot in category 0. |
| EPB certificate (certificat PEB) | certificat PEB | The energy certificate of a home, required for sale and rental. |
| Pre-emption perimeter | périmètre de préemption | The area where public bodies may buy first in a sale, for seven years. |
In the other regions
- In Flanders: What do the terms used when buying a house mean?
- In Wallonia: What do the Walloon terms in a contract or deed mean?
Sources
- The Brussels Code of Spatial Planning (CoBAT)
- perspective.brussels: the PRAS, the PAD and the PPAS
- Brussels Environment: applying for a soil certificate
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