The Kangaroo House, an intergenerational home

What is a Kangaroo Home?

Elderly parents have always lived with their children. But attitudes have changed, and now everyone wants to remain independent.

The Kangaroo House allows this independence, while at the same time establishing a real sense of intergenerational solidarity: the accommodation is divided so that each occupant has his or her own place to live. However, the youngest residents look after their elders' health and can provide them with services such as shopping. In return, the older people can occasionally look after the children, for example.

Buying a house is also easier financially, as the budget allocated is normally larger.

A word of caution: there are no specific legal rules governing Kangaroo-style family residences. So it's important that the different occupants of the home manage to live together smoothly.

Do I need planning permission to build a Kangaroo House?

The Kangaroo House concept is a recent one. The current property market does not always offer homes for sale divided into several lots. As a result, buyers often have to carry out work to adapt the property. This raises the question of planning permission.

The principle is that planning permission must be obtained if an existing home is to be divided into lots. However, this principle is designed to combat slum landlords and does not apply to family homes. So if only internal alterations are planned, only a works notification is required. However, if the existing dwelling is to be extended or raised, planning permission is required.

If in doubt, it's best to contact your local council's planning department.

What are the tax implications of a Kangaroo home?

From a tax point of view, to be considered as a single property, the family home must form a single unit, i.e. there must be just one entrance and just one doorbell. What's more, the home must not have been purchased under the co-ownership system.

But even if it is a single property, taxation is not the same as for a conventional house. The non-owner household must file a separate tax return. The owner will then have to pay tax on this part of the property, as if it were a second home.

Another complex rule to be aware of for the Kangaroo family home is the tax declaration of the mortgage. The mortgage will be amortised on the basis of all the lots in the home. However, only the part of the amortisation corresponding to the non-owner household is taken into account for the tax reduction on long-term savings.

What happens in the event of the death of a Kangaroo House occupant?

If you want to buy a family home with your parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, etc., you have two options: a gift or joint ownership.

A gift allows the older members of the family to participate financially in the property purchase. However, the younger members are the sole owners of the property.

In co-ownership, everyone owns a share of the property. But this raises the question of succession, if there are several children. Each heir can claim his share of the property, which can lead to serious family disputes or even the sale of the family property. To avoid these difficulties, it is strongly recommended that you draw up a will leaving the house to the other inhabitants.

Be careful, however, to respect the principle of the reserve. This is the minimum share of the inheritance to which reserved heirs (spouse and children) are entitled. To check that these heirs have not been prejudiced, testamentary clauses are taken into account, as well as gifts made during your lifetime.

When you buy your future Kangaroo home, your notary can advise you on how to anticipate any inheritance problems.

If you do not want to suffer the constraints of a Kangaroo House but would like to live near an elderly or dependent member of your family, the Engel & Völkers estate agency is at your disposal to offer you alternative solutions: purchase of two flats in a new property development, search for a house in a specific area, etc.