16 articles tagged
Which documents to gather, what a landlord may lawfully ask for, what they may not demand, and how to present your income so your application survives the first cut.
Two or three months' rent? It depends on your Region and on the form you choose. Where the money must sit, how it is released, and why the inventory decides everything.
One joint lease or individual leases, joint-and-several liability, a flatshare pact, domicile, charges: what sharing really commits you to, and how it differs by Region.
A regime of its own, different in all three Regions: a term aligned with the academic year, a framed early exit, subletting, kot versus studio, and what a parental guarantor actually signs.
Simple or joint-and-several surety, the scope of the undertaking, its duration, the documents required — and the alternatives when nobody can stand guarantor for you.
Energy certificate, housing quality standards, smoke detectors, a written and registered lease, an inventory of fixtures: everything you must have in order before publishing an ad in Belgium — and how to write a listing that attracts good candidates.
What you may legitimately assess (solvency, income stability, references), what you may not ask for, why refusing someone on benefits is unlawful, and how to document a refusal so you can defend it.
What the certificate is, who issues it, what it costs, how long it lasts, and above all: the mandatory statements in the ad. They differ between Brussels, Wallonia and Flanders — where it is called EPC.
Mandatory registration, fire safety, planning permission, co-ownership rules, tax, night caps: tourist accommodation is regulated, and the rules change by Region and even by municipality. What to check before the first night.
Nine-year leases, short leases, tacit renewal, notice periods, indemnities, mandatory clauses: what to know before signing — and why the answer depends on the Region the property sits in.
Who must register, within what deadline, how (MyRent), what to attach — and above all what happens if you skip it. Spoiler: the big loser is the landlord.
The exact formula, the health index, the anniversary date, the fact that nothing is automatic and retroactivity is capped — plus the warning that matters: the Regions have tied indexation to energy performance.
Three months' notice, sometimes an indemnity, and a starting date almost everyone gets wrong. The rules differ in Brussels, Wallonia and Flanders: here is how to leave without paying an extra month.
A landlord cannot end a nine-year lease whenever he likes. Personal occupation, major works, notice without grounds: three doors, three deadlines, three costs — and a heavy sanction if the stated ground never materialises.
Major upkeep on the landlord, day-to-day upkeep on the tenant — and between them a line that can be drawn precisely. Boiler, seals, cistern, window panes: clear-cut examples, and what normal wear and tear really means.
No benefit claimants, no foreigners, couples without children: those refusals are unlawful in Belgium. Protected grounds, indirect discrimination, situation testing, the shifted burden of proof — and what a landlord may legitimately assess.