Selling a kangaroo house in Flanders: what should you watch out for as a seller?

Selling a kangaroo house in Flanders: what should you watch out for as a seller?

If you want to sell a kangaroo house in Flanders, you are legally selling one home with a subordinate care unit, not two separate houses. That distinction determines what you can promise buyers, which documents the notary will ask for and how you set the price. In this article you will read how care housing works, what to check in advance and how to keep the sale running smoothly. The rules below apply in Flanders. Wallonia and Brussels have their own framework.

What is a kangaroo house in legal terms?

In everyday language, people speak of a kangaroo house or a multigenerational home. Flemish regulations use the term zorgwonen, or care housing. It refers to a home in which a smaller, subordinate living unit has been set up, so that an elderly person or someone in need of care can live close to family or a carer while still having a place of their own.

The framework is set out in the Flemish Spatial Planning Code (Vlaamse Codex Ruimtelijke Ordening). It provides that care housing is allowed under certain conditions without the home being formally split. The care unit remains subordinate to the main home, the whole forms a single property and the unit may not be sold or rented out separately to third parties. When no structural work is needed, a notification to the municipality is usually enough. For renovations that require an environmental permit (omgevingsvergunning), the normal rules apply.

For you as a seller, one point matters most: a kangaroo house is not a double house and not an investment property. Suggesting otherwise in a listing creates expectations the buyer cannot legally fulfil.

Check the planning status before you sell

The most important preparation is finding out how the care unit came about. Broadly speaking, there are three situations:

• Properly notified care housing. The municipality was notified and the unit meets the conditions. This is the simplest situation.
• Permitted split. The home was split into two living units with a permit. In that case you are in fact selling a home with two permitted units, which is a different legal and tax situation.
• Not notified or not permitted. The unit was set up without notification or a permit, or has been rented out separately for years. That may amount to a planning violation.

Request the planning extract and the permit history through the omgevingsloket or from the environment department of your municipality. The notary will do this anyway during the sale, but it is better that you discover a problem yourself than have it surface after the preliminary sale agreement (compromis) has been signed. If you have doubts about a renovation carried out without a permit, also read our guide on selling a house with a renovation done without a permit.

What happens to the care unit after the sale?

Care housing is tied to a specific care situation. If it ends, for example because the elderly occupant dies or moves to a residential care home, the owner must normally notify the municipality. The care unit then becomes part of the main home again and may not be used as a separate dwelling.

That has consequences for the buyer. A family that wants to take in a parent itself can use the unit for care housing again, provided it follows the rules and files its own notification. A buyer who wants to rent the unit to a student or an unrelated person cannot do so without a permit to split the property, and that is far from feasible everywhere.

Explain this honestly in the listing and during viewings. A good wording is, for example: "home with a fitted care unit, suitable for care housing under Flemish regulations". Avoid terms like "two homes", "with studio for rent" or "extra rental income" if no permit exists for that.

How do you set the asking price for a kangaroo house?

A kangaroo house has a smaller but specific target group. For families who want to combine caring for a relative with living together, a ready-made care unit with its own entrance, bathroom and kitchen is worth a lot. They save themselves a renovation and a permit procedure. For a typical family without that care need, the unit is mainly extra floor space, and sometimes a space they want to merge back into the main home.

That is why it is unwise to calculate the price as if you were selling two homes. An agent who knows the local market compares with recently sold homes of similar size and location, and estimates how much added value the care unit realistically brings in your municipality. Feel free to request a free valuation as a first point of reference. Then put the estimates of several agents side by side. Through ImmoMakelaarVergelijker.be you can compare up to 3 local, BIV-licensed agents, free and without obligation.

Inspections and certificates for a home with a care unit

For every sale in Flanders you need, among other things, an EPC (energy performance certificate), an inspection of the electrical installation, an asbestos certificate (for homes built before 2001) and a planning extract. With a kangaroo house, the question often arises whether the care unit needs a separate certificate. That depends on the specific situation: whether it is one living unit or two permitted units, and how the electrical installation is set up.

Check this in advance with the energy assessor and the inspection body, and state clearly that it concerns care housing. That way you avoid having to redo a certificate later. If your home is also located outside a residential zone, read our guide on selling a house outside a residential zone as well, because the options for care housing may be different there.

Finding the right agent and buyer

A kangaroo house calls for a targeted approach. An agent with experience in multigenerational homes knows how to present the care unit in photos and text, which buyers to approach and which questions the notary will ask. During the introductory meeting, ask specifically how the agent would describe care housing in the listing and whether they will help follow up the planning file.

So do not just compare the commission percentage, but also the approach. Want to see quickly which agents are active in your area? Compare agents through ImmoMakelaarVergelijker.be and receive proposals from up to 3 licensed agents.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sell the care unit of my kangaroo house separately?

No. With care housing, the care unit remains subordinate to the main home and the whole forms a single property. A separate sale requires a permitted split, and that is not automatically possible.

Can the buyer rent out the care unit?

Not to third parties without a permit to split the property. The buyer can, however, use the unit for care housing again, provided they respect the Flemish conditions and file their own notification with the municipality.

Do I have to report the end of care housing before the sale?

If the care situation ends, you must normally notify the municipality. Ideally do so before you sell, so that the planning status in the notary's file is correct. Your municipality can confirm which steps are needed.

Is a kangaroo house worth more than an ordinary home?

That depends on local demand. For families with a care need, a fitted care unit adds value; for other buyers it is mainly extra floor space. Have the price set based on comparable sales in your municipality.

In conclusion

Selling a kangaroo house in Flanders is perfectly possible, provided you present it correctly: one home with a care unit, not two houses. Check the planning status in advance, file the notification if the care situation has ended and be transparent about what a buyer may do with the unit. Want to know what your home is worth and which agent suits you best? Start with a free valuation or compare up to 3 agents in your area.