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Published on 10 October 20265 min read
Purchase agreement in Belgium: what sellers sign
The Immolytics editorial team
A purchase agreement in Belgium, known as a compromis or aankoop-verkoopbelofte, is the contract in which buyer and seller fix the sale of a property before the notarial deed. Once both parties have signed, the sale is legally binding: neither can walk away without consequences. This page sets out what you sign as a seller, which certificates apply where you live, and where the notary and the estate agency come in.
A purchase agreement and a compromis are the same document
One document, two names. Dutch-language contracts call it an aankoop-verkoopbelofte, or simply a verkoopbelofte; French-language contracts call it a compromis de vente. The content, the consequences and the obligations are identical. Only the language of the form differs.
What it contains is always the same list. The parties and their identity. A description of the property, with the cadastral details and the location. The price and the way it is paid. The deposit that the buyer pays into a third-party account. The date on which the notarial deed will be passed. And the conditions under which the sale goes ahead, or does not.
Some sellers sign an agreement drawn up by the notary, others a standard form from the estate agency. In both cases the rule is the same: you sign what is written, not what was discussed. If a term does not appear in your own words, the glossary on this site explains everyday property language.
What the seller commits to by signing
By signing, the seller undertakes to sell the property at the agreed price, to this buyer, on the terms set out in the contract.
In practice it comes down to five things. The price, which can no longer be changed freely without the buyer's agreement. The deposit, which the buyer pays and which the seller does not hold himself. The suspensive conditions, such as obtaining a mortgage or a satisfactory survey. The date of the deed, which completes the sale. And the certificates that belong to the property.
Which certificates are compulsory differs by region. In the Flemish Region, the sale of a dwelling comes with a renovation obligation. The Brussels-Capital Region works with its own performance targets per dwelling, without any link to a sale. In Wallonia, the energy performance certificate is required at the sale and at the rental of a dwelling, with no renovation deadline attached. If you are unsure about your situation, the notary confirms what applies in your region.
Alongside those certificates there is the value itself. Whoever puts a price in the agreement fixes it. A valuation report that substantiates the value is therefore not a formality, it is the document you rely on.
The price in the agreement must rest on real figures
The price stated in the purchase agreement is the price that becomes legally fixed. So it should not come out of an asking price chosen on feeling alone.
The official figures come from Statbel and from the notaries, who publish their data per region and per municipality. On this site you find those figures brought together in property prices and on the price map, where you can set municipalities and provinces side by side before you write down a price.
If you want a figure for your own municipality first, the valuation returns a value based on the official data. Such a figure is not a sales argument, it is the starting point of the conversation with the buyer. The tools on the site also work out what a dwelling costs a buyer in a given municipality, so you know where your price sits in the market.
Notary and estate agency: who does what
The notary drafts the deed and is the only one who can legally record the transfer of ownership; the estate agency brokers, shows and sells, but does not replace the notary.
The notary checks whether the seller really owns the property, whether mortgages or attachments burden it, and whether planning rules have been respected. He also keeps the deposit in a third-party account until the deed is passed. That check protects both parties, the seller included, because a problem that surfaces after the deed comes back to the seller.
The estate agency brings in buyers and guides the viewing. If you take that route, it is worth comparing a few agencies before signing a mandate; the site has an overview of estate agents and of agencies you can work with.
When the agreement does not bind the buyer
As long as a suspensive condition has not been fulfilled, the sale is not final and the buyer can still step back without losing the deposit.
The most common condition is financing: the buyer is given time to arrange a mortgage. Other conditions concern the state of the building, a survey, or a problem with the soil. What happens if the sale falls through without a valid reason is set out in the contract itself: usually the deposit goes to the party who did not default. On credit, this site gives information only about products, costs and borrowing capacity, never an offer or a rate.
Sellers who do not want the classic route look at the alternatives. In public auctions the sale runs through a bidder, and Pépites tracks that kind of sale closely. A sale on a life annuity works with a different type of agreement. And anyone who wants to know which municipalities most often come forward as worth buying starts with the site's top.
Frequently asked questions
Is a purchase agreement the same as a compromis?
Yes, it is the same document under a different name. Dutch-language deeds speak of an aankoop-verkoopbelofte, French-language deeds of a compromis de vente, and the obligations for buyer and seller are the same.
Do I need a valuation before I sign as a seller?
No, the law does not require one, but it is sensible. The price in the agreement is fixed as soon as you sign, and a substantiated valuation prevents you from signing too low or too high.
Can I back out of the purchase agreement as a seller?
Only on the terms set out in the contract. If you walk away without a valid reason, the contract usually provides for compensation to the buyer, so have the clauses read by the notary before you sign.
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