In Belgium

A rental permit (permis de location / verhuurvergunning) is an administrative authorisation certifying that a dwelling meets minimum safety and habitability standards. Its requirement varies by Region.

Wallonia. Mandatory for dwellings of less than 28 m2 and for any building subdivided into multiple rental units. Issued by the municipality after inspection by a certified inspector.

Brussels-Capital Region. Required for dwellings below a certain size threshold and for subdivided buildings. The regional housing inspectorate carries out the assessment.

Flanders. The rental permit as such does not exist. Instead, Flanders uses a conformity attestation (conformiteitsattest) system, which is optional for municipalities to enforce but serves a similar purpose.

How it works

Application. The landlord applies to the municipality before letting the property. An inspector visits the dwelling and checks compliance with regional minimum standards (surface area, ventilation, lighting, sanitary installations, electrical safety, structural soundness).

Decision. If the dwelling passes, a permit is issued for 5 years. If it fails, the landlord receives a list of required works and must reapply after completing them.

Renewal. The permit must be renewed every 5 years through a new inspection.

Penalties for non-compliance. Renting without a required permit is a criminal offence. Fines range from 50 to 300 EUR per infraction in Wallonia. In Brussels, fines can reach 25,000 EUR. The tenant may also seek judicial termination of the lease.

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A lease signed without the required rental permit remains valid — the tenant can still enforce all their rights. However, the landlord cannot invoke the lease’s provisions that would otherwise protect them (e.g. penalty for early termination) and faces administrative and criminal sanctions.

Practical example

A landlord in Wallonia subdivides a house into 4 studio apartments of 22 m2 each. They must obtain a rental permit for each unit before letting them. An inspector identifies inadequate ventilation in 2 units. The landlord installs mechanical ventilation, passes the re-inspection and obtains the permits. Cost of the process: approximately 800 EUR per unit including works.