Wallonia adopts a new general regulation for the granting of social credits

On October 8, 2026, the Walloon government approved a new general regulation defining the general principles for granting credits by the Société wallonne du Crédit social and the Guichets du crédit social. The decree, published in the Belgian Official Gazette on November 4, 2026, under reference C − 2026/007793 (pp. 59083 to 59182), repeals the general regulation approved by the decree of May 16, 2019. It is signed on behalf of the government by Minister-President A. DOLIMONT and the Minister of Energy, the Air-Climate Plan, Housing and Airports C. NEVEN, upon the proposal of the latter.

The file was finalized in a month and a half: gender evaluation report of September 15, 2026, decisions of the Board of Directors of the Société wallonne du Crédit social on September 9, September 16, and October 6, 2026, opinion of the Inspection des finances on September 29, 2026, and agreement of the Minister of Budget on October 5, 2026. The text is aligned with the 2022-2025 management contract concluded on August 22, 2022, between the Walloon Region and the company.

A Unified Product Catalog

The regulation reorganizes the offer of social and mortgage credits into distinct chapters, with a body of common rules (data collection, fees, expert assessments, complaints):

• Accesspack, credit for the purchase, construction, rehabilitation, or repayment of real estate debts, including the creation of housing for a parent aged 60 or over;
• Youth Loan, zero-interest credit for the purchase costs of the first home for those under 35;
• Rénopack, a product consisting of a zero-interest credit and a reduction of the capital to be repaid, for energy-saving, health, or safety works;
• Classic Rénoprêt, Public Calamities, Disability Adaptation, Pellet Stoves, and Co-ownership;
• special provisions for concomitant loans, notably Rénopack or Rénoprêt coupled with an Accesspack.

Works must be completed within two years of the signing of the deed or contract, with a possible extension of six months for reasons not attributable to the applicant; unforeseen costs are capped at 15% of the financed amount.

Ceilings, Amounts, and Rates

The financial conditions are set in black and white in the appendix:

• Accesspack: household taxable income limited to 65,000 EUR (categories C1 to C5 from less than 23,000 EUR to 65,000 EUR); 100% of the market value, exceptionally increased to 125%; repayment between 5 and 30 years, settled by age 75.
• Youth Loan: income up to 97,700 EUR, amount from 1,000 to 60,000 EUR, rate of 0%.
• Rénopack: income up to 53,400 EUR (categories C1 to C3), amount from 1,000 to 75,000 EUR (60,000 EUR for private parts in co-ownership), rate of 0%, duration of 25 years (30 years exceptionally).
• Capital reduction for Rénopack: 45% in category C1, 35% in C2, 10% in C3, increased by 5% if all envelope insulation works are carried out using eco-materials.
• Disability Adaptation Rénoprêt and Pellet Stove Rénoprêt: debit rate of 0%.

The financed housing must be located in the French-speaking territory; for the Accesspack, the market value is capped at 260,000 EUR, with a 35% increase in real estate pressure zones.

Rental guarantee and transitional regime

The regulation also modifies the rental guarantee schemes: in the regulations of April 22, 2021 (main residence or shared housing lease, student lease) and September 16, 2021 (precarious occupation agreement), the mentions “or in the process of registration” and “or emancipated minor” are deleted, and references to the old 2019 regulation are replaced by the articles of the new text. Rental guarantee loans remain subject to several common provisions, including the handling of complaints and guarantees.

The text enters into force on October 8, 2026, and applies to applications whose form is received from October 1, 2026. Applications registered before this date remain governed by the regulation of May 16, 2019, as do, for their premiums, Rénopack applications registered before February 14, 2025. On the same day, a ministerial decree (C − 2026/008018, p. 59141) approved the specific implementing regulation, repealing that of May 28, 2019.

What this changes for borrowers

The new framework applies to households who submit an application to the Société wallonne du Crédit social or a Social Credit Desk from October 1, 2026: they have thirty calendar days to provide the requested documents, otherwise the application will be refused, and their income ceilings, quotas, and rates are set uniformly. Persons whose file was already complete before October 1, 2026, retain the 2019 conditions.

Source: Belgian Official Gazette of November 4, 2026, decree of the Walloon Government of October 8, 2026 approving the general regulation defining the general principles for granting credits by the Walloon Social Credit Company and the Social Credit Windows, ref. C − 2026/007793, p. 59083-59182.