Renting a property

If you have a modest income and have been waiting for social housing for some time, you may qualify for a rental premium. This premium supports you if you rent a property on the private market while waiting for social housing.

If you move from a poor or unadapted property to a quality property or a more suitable property for your family, you may qualify for a rent subsidy.

If you rent a property on the private market and have dependent children, you can also benefit from property tax relief as a tenant.

The rights and obligations of tenant and landlord are set out in the tenancy agreement. However, the provisions in the tenancy agreement must not be contrary to the legislation in force:

• For tenancy agreements concluded before 1 January 2019, you must take the federal Rent Act into account.
• For tenancy agreements concluded from 1 January 2019 for rental properties in Flanders, you must take the Flemish Housing Rental Decree into account.

As a tenant, you have every interest in reading the tenancy agreement carefully before signing it. This way, you avoid discussions during the rental period or when you want to terminate the tenancy agreement. It is recommended to use a standard tenancy agreement. These can be found on various websites for tenants and landlords.

The landlord is required to register the tenancy agreement with the Legal Security Office (the former registration office of the FPS Finance) of the place where the immovable property is located.

Even with a good tenancy agreement and good agreements, you may still run into problems with the landlord. Therefore, you should report any issues with the rental property to the landlord as soon as possible in writing or by registered letter, if necessary, to reach a solution quickly. If you do not get any response, it is good to know to whom you can turn.