Belgium/A map to help locate substandard housing in Mons

To combat slum landlords and substandard housing, the City of Mons has published a list of properties that may not be rented out. This tool will soon be used by the local branch of Infor Jeunes, which is often called upon to deal with rental problems.

This interactive map is now online on the City of Mons website. A large number of locations are shown, some of which have been declared uninhabitable for more than ten years. Clément Hubert, youth information officer, shows us addresses close to Infor Jeunes Mons, pointing out that these are buildings that caught fire a long time ago, and have not yet been renovated. So we have to sort them out.

The association is not yet using the card, but sees it as an additional tool to help those who come here for information. Some people are prepared to go to great lengths to find accommodation, as Clément Hubert explains: "the fact that there isn't enough accommodation for students means that sometimes, by default, to be sure of getting something, they'll accept a loan.The factthat there isn't enough accommodation for students means thatsometimes, by default, tobe sure ofhaving something, they accept accommodation that is sometimes a little limited in terms of size, healthiness and even sometimes exorbitant rents.

His colleague, Michel Maroquin, head of the housing department, has just one recent example: "A young person who had a seven-square-meter apartment with absolutely no windows". Kots can be found on the Infor Jeunes website, where checks are carried out: "We ask the landlord for a copy of the rental permit and the energy performance certificate".

But demand is too great for the number of offers. And some young people, poorly informed, fall into traps. We meet Flora and Lynn, who are stuck in a flat-sharing situation that seems very problematic: "the kitchen is extremely dirty, the appliances don't work, the fridge is rotten, the sofa is unusable because it stinks". The two of them came because they didn't know what to do with their landlord, who didn't reply or told them it was up to them to manage.

Lynn, 19, explains that the furnished flat was already in this state when she rented it, without seeing it beforehand: "When I took the apartment, I didn't visit it. I got the keys in front of the door, just like that. I'm young, I didn't ask about it, I'd already paid the deposit, and the man said 'you have to guarantee the place'.I thought he was nice, so he gave me the keys and I found out about the place myself". She says she pays 525 euros a month.

They heard about Infor Jeunes from the owner of another apartment they wanted to visit. They hope to be able to leave their flat-share soon, and above all to get their deposit back.

Source: www.rtbf.be/article/