Projects

“Does the use of blockchain technology affect the conveyance process of real estate, and to which extent is the legal framework adapted to this transformation?” This project aims to spearhead a better understanding of the consequences of applying blockchain in the field of real estate law. Although blockchain technology – as a public medium for conveyance without third party intervention – seems to be by its very nature a “next step” ...

Discrimination is a persistent issue in various societal fields, including the housing market. This PhD project focuses on the discrimination of ethnic minorities and low income households on the private rental market in Belgium. Taking the perspective of landlords and real estate agents as a point of departure, the project studies how discrimination occurs throughout the entire rental procedure.

More precisely, this PhD project wishes ...

When one acquires real estate in Belgium, one puts his trust in the land register that the previous mentioned owner was effectively the owner of the real estate. Thus one hopes to get the certainty that he will not lose the real estate he bought. The interventions of the notary and the registrar of the land register contribute to this expectation. However, despite this legitimate hope, the Belgian land register does not offer this certainty. ...

The housing market depends critically on credit market conditions and the link between housing and credit has recently attracted considerable interest in empirical papers. The strong interlinkage between both markets raises numerous question: How do borrowers choose between different mortgage products? How do households make reinvestment decision for their largest single component of household wealth? How are housing and mortgage markets ...

The sustainability theme has meanwhile become omnipresent and is gaining more and more focus, mainly from a public (property) law perspective. Essential and often overlooked, however, is the question of what role private property law, and more particularly the right of ownership, can fulfill in this (fancy / hip) transition towards a more conscious use / occupation of space and the land together (and living on, under or above it). After all, ...