Residential lease

The main residence lease is the most common contract for renting a home in Belgium. Since the sixth state reform, each region has its own rules: the Walloon decree of 15 March 2018, the Brussels Housing Code and the Flemish decree of 9 November 2018. The lease must be in writing and normally lasts nine years. The tenant can leave at any time with three months' notice, but during the first three years they owe compensation of three, two or one month's rent. The landlord can only end the lease in specific cases: to live in the home or house a relative there, for major works, or without a reason at the end of the third or sixth year, by paying compensation. The landlord must register the lease, free of charge, within two months of signing. The rent can be indexed once a year, and an entry inventory is compulsory. The rental deposit is capped at two months' rent in Wallonia (since 1 June 2023) and in Brussels (for leases signed or renewed since 1 November 2024), and at three months' rent in Flanders.