The energy certificate (PEB / EPC): mandatory in every listing

It is the first thing that blocks a letting, and the easiest to fix. An energy performance certificate is mandatory to rent out a home in Belgium, and its data must appear in the advertisement itself — not at the viewing, not at signature: from the moment you advertise.

A point of vocabulary that genuinely matters: it is called a certificat PEB (energy performance of buildings) in Brussels and Wallonia, and an EPC (energieprestatiecertificaat) in Flanders. These are three distinct regimes, born of one European directive but transposed separately. The obligations, the required statements and the penalties are not identical.

1. What is it, concretely?

A document drawn up by an accredited professional after visiting the property, describing its theoretical energy performance: insulation, window frames, heating system, hot water production, ventilation, any renewable generation.

It results in:

• a numerical indicator of primary energy consumption, expressed in kWh per m² per year;
• an energy class, shown on a coloured label running from the best classes (A and above) to the worst (F or G, depending on the Region);
• often, recommendations for improvement works.

Important: the certificate is theoretical. It rates the building, not the habits of its occupants. A well-rated home occupied by someone who heats to 24 °C will consume more than an average home occupied frugally. It is not a forecast bill; it is the building's energy identity card.

2. Who issues it, what it costs, how long it lasts

Who. An assessor accredited by the Region in which the property is located. An assessor accredited in Wallonia cannot certify a property in Flanders. Each Region publishes the list of its accredited professionals on its official site: that is where you look, and nowhere else.

How much. The price is free — unregulated. It depends on the Region, on the size and complexity of the property, and on the assessor. As an order of magnitude, expect a few hundred euros for a flat or an average house. Ask for two or three quotes: the spread is real. Prepare your documents (plans, insulation invoices, works certificates, boiler servicing): without evidence, the assessor must assume the least favourable hypotheses, and your class will suffer. A well-prepared file can be worth a whole class.

How long. The certificate is valid for 10 years. After that it must be redone. It is also worth redoing — in your own interest — after significant works: insulating the roof and replacing the windows without updating the certificate means paying for the works and still displaying the bad label.

3. The mandatory statements in the listing

This is where landlords are most often caught out. Every advertisement — an online listing, a window card, a board on the façade, a leaflet — must state the property's energy data.

Depending on the Region, in substance:

• In Flanders: the certificate is the EPC; the advertisement must show the energy score (specific consumption in kWh/m²/year), the label, the certificate number and the property address. Flanders has also, in recent years, set out a trajectory of minimum energy requirements for rented homes, with a progressively stricter minimum label. That trajectory keeps moving: check the deadline currently in force with VEKA (energiesparen.be) before committing.
• In Brussels: the PEB certificate for individual dwellings; the advertisement must show the certificate's energy performance indicators and the class. Bruxelles Environnement / Leefmilieu Brussel is the competent authority.
• In Wallonia: the certificat PEB; the advertisement must show the label, the specific primary energy consumption (Espec, in kWh/m².year) and the total primary energy consumption (Etotale, in kWh/year). SPW Énergie is the competent authority.

The certificate must also be handed to the tenant — they receive a copy, and the lease refers to it.

Do not retype the figures from memory, and never from an expired certificate: copy them exactly from the document currently in force.

4. Penalties

They exist in all three Regions, and target two distinct behaviours: not holding a certificate, and not publishing its statements.

The Regions provide for administrative fines, whose amounts and procedures are set by their respective texts and have been amended several times. We will not quote a figure here, precisely because a wrong figure is worth nothing: check your Region's official source (VEKA for Flanders, Bruxelles Environnement for Brussels, SPW Énergie for Wallonia).

Two things to remember above all: checks also cover online listings, which are public and easy to verify; and the fine is not the only risk. A tenant who was never handed the certificate holds an argument in any dispute, and a missing certificate signals a negligence that will weigh heavily if the property's fitness is later challenged.

5. The energy rating is not a mere formality

Treat it as an asset, not a tax.

• It drives how fast you let. At equal rent, a decent class lets faster. The tenant reasons in total cost: rent + energy.
• It weighs on what you can index. Several Regions have tied rent indexation to the energy class, with rules that have evolved and differ between Regions. Before indexing, check the rule in force where you are.
• It directs your works. The certificate's recommendations tell you where the invested euro pays most. Often that is the roof, then the windows, then the heating system — in that order.

6. On Domilinko: no energy class, no publication

The rule is simple and admits no exception: a listing whose energy class is not filled in is blocked at moderation. It does not move from "pending review" to "published".

This is not excess zeal on our part: it is Belgian law. A platform distributing rental listings without energy statements would be distributing unlawful advertisements — for you, in your name.

In practice, when you create a listing you enter the class and the consumption indicator shown on your certificate. As long as the field is empty (status pending), the listing stays a draft. So plan to order your certificate before you prepare your listing: the lead time (booking, visit, drafting) runs into days, and sometimes weeks in high season.

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The required statements, procedures and penalties are a regional matter and are regularly amended. Before publishing, check the obligations in force with the competent authority: VEKA (Flanders), Bruxelles Environnement (Brussels), SPW Énergie (Wallonia).