Most of our quarter is situated in a ZICHEE zone. In case you wonder: Zone d’Intérêt Culturel, Historique, Esthétique ou d’Embellissement (Area of Cultural, Historical, Aesthetic or Beautification Interest). Simply put, this means that the architectural heritage of the quarter is protected: any architectural changes (especially if they are visible from the outside, particularly the street side) are subject to strict regulations and require a specific permit from the cities` Urbanisme department. Ongoing permit demands are exhibited by red A4 posters outside the property in question, inviting citizens to react within a specific period, with the option to be invited to the deciding committee session. Current demands are listed here: https://openpermits.brussels/, neighbourhood committee GAQ www.gaq.be helps discuss and respond.
Since neither notaries (who, during a property transfer, should check whether the current actual state of a property corresponds to its legally registered plans and permits), nor builders seem to be well-informed or concerned with regulations, it stays up to owners to be aware. Two examples: external doors and window frames may only be in wood, and satellite dishes may not be installed on street facades. Contraventions are frequent, but this does not protect from problems in legal questions, or potential future controls and fines.