Wallonia | Living in Wallonia| Setting up home

Finding the right choice of accommodation is certainly one of the main concerns of anyone wanting to settle down in Wallonia. It is relatively easy to rent or purchase a residential property (apartment or house) and there is a very wide choice of properties on offer.

renting a property

A complete overview of the properties available for rent is published in various newspapers and is also available on the web. Most newspapers, such as Le Soir, La Libre Belgique etc., publish a special property supplement each week. There are numerous specialised agencies available to advise you and help you with in your decision. They will also search for your ideal property based on your requirements and budget.

You can choose from modern apartments, traditional apartments, villas, studios, detached family houses, all furnished or unfurnished. Prices vary according to the type of accommodation, its size, and whether or not it is fitted to a high specification.

- Rental agreement
To rent almost any type of property, you will need to sign a rental agreement called a "bail" (lease).

Leases can be classified as short term leases (maximum of 3 years), which cannot be cancelled before expiry, and nine year leases. It is possible to cancel a nine-year lease, however you must provide three month's notice at the end of each three year term.

- Registering your lease
Registering a lease is a mandatory formality imposed by Belgian fiscal legislation. Leases must be registered within four months of signing the lease.

- Rental deposit
When renting a property, almost all owners request a rental deposit (garantie locative) of up to a maximum of three month's rent. We recommend that you lodge this deposit in an escrow account set up under your name and that of the lessor. This deposit will earn interest which you will be entitled to keep when you leave the property.

purchasing a property

There are a number of formalities to be fulfilled when purchasing a property. You will also need to pay registration fees, administration fees, and if necessary, notary fees.

- Preliminary sales agreement (compromis de vente)
You can purchase a property in one of two ways:

• By means of a private preliminary sales agreement (compromis de vente sous seing privé)
• By having the sale certified in due legal form before a notary (acte authentique devant notaire)

You can use either of these two methods as they are exactly the same. Once there is agreement between the parties as to the property and the price, and both parties have signed the preliminary sales agreement, the sale is definitive.

- Deadline and place of registration
A preliminary sales agreement must be registered within four months of signing the agreement. If the document is drawn up by a notary, the notary has fifteen days to register the document.
The preliminary sales agreement must be registered with the relevant registration office (bureau de l'enregistrement), which is determined by the location of the property. The notary documents are registered in the relevant registration office for the purchaser's place of residence.

- Notarised document and charges to be paid
The notarised document (acte notarié) is essential to ensuring the legal certainty of the transaction.

The costs associated with the purchase document include the following:

• Taxes associated with the transaction, which are mostly made up of registration fees
• Costs associated with administrative formalities
• Notary fees (if applicable)

Registration fees
The registration fees for properties located in Wallonia is set at 12.5 %.
However, there are various reductions applied to the standard rate if certain conditions are met. For example, if you are purchasing a small rural property or a modest house.

connecting your various utilities and services

1. Gas and electricity:

You will need to make your request to the relevant company one week in advance. The company will let you know when the connection will be processed. The person that makes the request will also have to be at home on the day of the connection in order to allow the agent access the premises and approve the connection.

Gas and electricity suppliers:
Because of the deregulation of the gas and electricity markets at European level, consumers are now free to select any supplier of their choice.

The website www.monenergie.be (in French or Dutch) gives a comparative overview of gas and electricity costs from all Belgian suppliers.

2. Water:

Charge : 38,80 € / year + 31,65 € / year

*The real cost price of the distribution (Coût-Vérité à la Distribution-CVD) includes all costs linked to the production and distribution, as well as a tax on the protection of water catchment.

Established by the SWDE (société wallonne des eaux), the real cost price of the distribution amounts 1,94€/m³ (24/01/2008)

**The real cost price of the treatment of waste water (Coût-Vérité à l'Assainissement-CVA) includes all costs linked to the collection of domestic waste water.

Since January 2008 the real cost price of the treatment of waste water amounts 1,0550 €/m³.

Source : Société wallonne de distribution d’eau - 2008

3. Telephone

Since the deregulation of the market in January 1998, there are now a number of different telecom operators in Belgium.

However, there is only one company responsible for connecting your phone line: BELGACOM. You should submit your connection request in advance at your nearest Belgacom phone shop using the special forms provided.