My name is Danielle Borremans, and I have been an enthusiastic resident of the Brussels Capital Region for 35 years. I grew up in the Pajottenland, a region west of Brussels. This meant that I was familiar with the capital of my beloved Belgium from an early age. We used to go there regularly for all kinds of leisure activities. I studied in Leuven, where I obtained a master's degree in Economics. Meanwhile, I maintained my connection with Brussels: during the summer holidays, I did student jobs there and in 1986 I got my first job in the city. Shortly afterwards, I moved to the United States and Germany for that first employer. At the end of 1990, I settled permanently in the Brussels Capital Region to continue my career in Belgium as an independent marketing consultant. I immediately felt at home. The nice rental flat with a view of a park was part of it, but there was more to it than that. I find it fascinating to live in a city where more than 170 languages are spoken, where three-quarters of the population has foreign roots, and where European policy is made. Being married to a Dutchman has also led to a mixing of cultures in my personal life. Thanks to our daughter, we became acquainted with the many educational institutions and the highly diverse services and activities that Brussels has to offer for families with children.
Living in Brussels
We were pleased with the rental flat we lived in in 1990. However, the landlord invested little in maintenance or renovation. So we started looking for a place of our own, which we could renovate and decorate to our taste. At that time, property in Brussels was still affordable. On the other hand, the interest rate for home loans fluctuated around 11 per cent in 1990.
We invested in a building with several residential units. As owner-landlords, we had a clear mission: to provide good service and manage our investment in a sustainable way. My husband was responsible for technical follow-up and quality control, while I took care of the administration and financial management. Rotation was quite high and we were busy with it. The positive thing was that we got in touch with people from different backgrounds, ages and cultures. I realised more than once that simple human contact between tenant and landlord can be enough to remove prejudices on both sides.
Diversity can be a driving force for change or awareness. I came to this conclusion thanks to my experience with the project of DoucheFLUX, a non-profit organisation serving homeless people in Brussels. From the end of 2013, I was actively involved in the launch of their services. Until 2018, I was co-responsible for raising the funds needed for the purchase and renovation of the building as well as for its operating costs.Through DoucheFLUX, I became more aware of the major social challenges of poverty and deprivation. I realised that there is a link between housing and human well-being.
A real estate cooperative for the development of rental housing
The fact that the housing situation of a growing number of families in the Brussels region is frankly inadequate is largely due to the insufficient supply of affordable, liveable and accessible rental housing. Because we are all aware of the needs, all that is required is to create the supply. No single company, individual or government agency can possibly take on this task alone. However, a partnership of individuals and organisations with a common goal as a binding force could achieve this mission. I became convinced of this after completing a postgraduate course in Cooperative Entrepreneurship at KU Leuven in 2019. Since then, I have been dreaming of setting up a mixed real estate cooperative. The thesis* I wrote for the postgraduate programme was about the social impact that this type of cooperative society could generate.
In recent years, I have conducted extensive analysis on all topics related to real estate, lodging and dwellings. I have set up an information system to structure and monitor the data. The website whatt.eu was created to explain my proposal for a real estate cooperative. The website's blog platform offers the opportunity to interact with people and organisations who want to work together to improve the supply of rental accommodation in the Brussels region and thus increase general well-being.
Involving the general public in the development of rental property is unusual. The idea needs some time to mature. The trilingual website www.whatt.eu offers the opportunity to form a network of people and organisations who are willing to reflect on this and take action. I look forward to receiving many responses!
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