What tenant rights should movers know in Belgium in 2026?

Get a written principal-residence lease stating base rent, charges, deposit, and duration: Rental contracts and deposits. Flanders currently caps the deposit at three months’ base rent for many principal-residence contracts; Brussels and Wallonia commonly cap it at two months. Confirm you may register domicile at that address: Register address.

Demand an état des lieux / plaatsbeschrijving with photos. Refuse deposit-before-viewing and off-platform payment demands: Avoid rental scams and How to rent a home. Guarantor asks are market pressure, not a universal legal duty: Rent without a guarantor.

Usage charges (common cleaning, lift maintenance shares, private meters when billed through the landlord) usually sit with the tenant when listed in the lease. Property-side costs such as the précompte immobilier and often the syndic management fee for ownership sit with the landlord in Regional guidance: Condominium fees. Brussels rules tightened charge listing duties for many leases from November 2024; read the live Regional page rather than a friend’s older contract.

Major structural repairs sit with the landlord; small daily upkeep sits with the tenant. Annual indexation follows the health index rules your Region allows, not a free WhatsApp increase. Furnished and short products still need the same written trail: Furnished rentals and Short-term housing. Peace of the justice (juge de paix / vrederechter) handles many lease disputes when negotiation fails.