Tenant letters in Belgium: notice, deposit and repairs

Quick answer

Belgian tenancy law is regional: the rules of Brussels, Wallonia or Flanders apply according to where the home is. On a standard 9-year lease, you can leave at any time with three months’ notice, paying 3, 2 or 1 month’s rent if the lease ends in its first, second or third year. The notice period starts on the first day of the following month. Both spouses or legal cohabitants must sign. In Wallonia, notice must go by registered post, bailiff or hand delivery against a signed copy. Your garantie locative (rental deposit) is released only by a joint written agreement or a court decision. Never withhold rent for repairs.

This guide covers main-residence leases (bail de résidence principale) in Belgium, where you live in the home as your main residence with the landlord’s consent. Each region has its own law: the Code bruxellois du Logement (CBL), the décret wallon du 15 mars 2018 relatif au bail d’habitation and the Vlaams Woninghuurdecreet (VWHD). In Flanders, the VWHD applies to written leases concluded from 1 January 2019; older leases follow the former federal rules. In Wallonia, the short-lease and student rules below apply to leases concluded or renewed from 1 September 2018, and in Brussels some changes apply only to leases concluded or renewed from 1 November 2024. It is general information, not legal advice. Belgian law imposes no language on a private letter (art. 30 of the Constitution), so the French examples below are valid in Flanders too, although a Flemish landlord may answer in Dutch. For an unpaid deposit, see payment demands in Belgium; to end internet or energy contracts when you move, see cancelling a contract in Belgium.

Give notice: how much and when

In Flanders, the compensation depends on the year in which the lease ends. A short lease ends at its term only if notice is given at least three months before; if not, or if you stay on, it becomes a 9-year lease on the same terms. Student leases have their own rules: in Brussels, two months’ notice without compensation (art. 256 CBL); in Wallonia, two months’ notice plus three months’ rent, not after 15 March (art. 81); in Flanders, only in limited cases such as ending your studies (art. 64 VWHD).

A notice given “at any time” starts on the first day of the month after the month in which it is given (art. 231 CBL; art. 30 of the Walloon decree; art. 15 VWHD). Official guidance reads “given” as received: if the landlord receives your letter on 20 March, the notice runs from 1 April to 30 June. A letter that arrives on 2 April costs you another month’s rent.

The lease of a family home belongs to both spouses, so notice must come from both (art. 215, § 2 of the old Civil Code), and the same applies to legal cohabitants (art. 1477, § 2). If your lease has not been registered within two months of signing, you can leave in Brussels and Flanders without notice period or compensation (art. 228/5 CBL; art. 20 VWHD); in Wallonia, only after a formal demand to register, sent by registered post, bailiff or hand delivery, has had no effect for one month (art. 54). In Wallonia and Flanders, you can check registration in MyMinfin; in Brussels, leases are registered with the regional register of Bruxelles Logement since 1 January 2025 (art. 228/1 to 228/5 CBL).

Send the notice in the right form

• Wallonia: notice must be sent by registered post, served by a bailiff, or handed to the landlord, who signs a copy with the date of receipt (art. 30 of the Walloon decree). A standard or tracked letter is not enough. From abroad, send a registered letter from your own post office.
• Brussels: the law sets no form, and the region publishes model letters. An ordinary letter is presumed received on the second day after posting, but you must be able to prove that you posted it; a registered letter is safer.
• Flanders: no form is required, unless your lease asks for a registered letter; the Flemish government advises one.

The example covers a 9-year lease; for a short or student lease, cite the article from the table above. Keep the legal basis for your region, state the compensation or that none is due, and give no reason, since none is required. Every tenant, and both spouses or legal cohabitants, must sign.

Objet : Congé — bail de résidence principale — [adresse du logement]

Madame, Monsieur,

[Je soussigné(e) / Nous soussignés] [prénom(s) et nom(s)], [preneur / preneurs] du logement situé [adresse du logement] en vertu du bail signé le [date de signature] et ayant pris cours le [date de prise de cours], [donne / donnons] congé de ce bail conformément à [l’article 237, § 5, du Code bruxellois du Logement / l’article 55, § 5, du décret wallon du 15 mars 2018 relatif au bail d’habitation / l’article 20, § 1er, du décret flamand du 9 novembre 2018 (Vlaams Woninghuurdecreet)].

Le délai de préavis de trois mois prend cours le premier jour du mois qui suit celui au cours duquel le présent congé est donné, soit le [date], et prend fin le [date de fin du bail].

[Le bail prenant fin au cours de sa [première / deuxième / troisième] année, l’indemnité de [nombre] mois de loyer prévue par cette disposition vous sera réglée. / Le bail prenant fin après sa troisième année, aucune indemnité n’est due.]

Je vous propose d’établir l’état des lieux de sortie et de procéder à la remise des clés le [date proposée], et de convenir à cette occasion de la libération de la garantie locative. À partir du [date], ma nouvelle adresse sera la suivante : [nouvelle adresse].

Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées. [Prénom et nom du preneur] [Prénom et nom du conjoint ou cohabitant légal, le cas échéant] [Signatures]

Get your garantie locative released

In every region, the bank releases the deposit only on a written agreement drawn up at the earliest at the end of the lease, or on a copy of a court decision (art. 249, § 2 CBL; art. 62, § 3 of the Walloon decree; art. 37, § 3 VWHD). A letter from you alone does not unblock the account: send the bank’s release form for the landlord to sign. Interest on the account is added for you. The Brussels deadline does not apply while a court dispute is pending, and the deadline and penalty apply only to leases concluded or renewed from 1 November 2024; in Wallonia and Flanders, do not threaten a penalty the law does not provide. Whether the Walloon two-month cap, in force since 1 June 2023, applies to older guarantees is unclear.

Either of you can ask for a joint check-out inventory (état des lieux de sortie), at shared cost, after you have moved out and before the keys are handed over; in Brussels, at the latest within a month of moving out (art. 220, § 3 CBL; art. 27 of the Walloon decree; art. 39, § 2 VWHD). Normal wear and tear (vétusté) and force majeure are not your damage. Do not use the deposit as your last month’s rent. If the landlord refuses without reason, the juge de paix (justice of the peace) can order the release.

Objet : Libération de la garantie locative — [adresse du logement]

Madame, Monsieur,

Le bail relatif au logement situé [adresse du logement] a pris fin le [date de fin du bail]. Je vous ai remis les clés le [date de la remise des clés] et l’état des lieux de sortie a été établi le [date]. J’en joins une copie.

La garantie locative de [montant] euros est constituée sur le compte n° [numéro de compte] ouvert auprès de [banque]. Je vous remercie de signer le formulaire de libération ci-joint et de le transmettre à [banque] au plus tard le [date], afin que la garantie, intérêts compris, soit versée sur le compte [IBAN] au nom de [titulaire du compte].

[Pour un bail bruxellois conclu ou renouvelé à partir du 1er novembre 2024 : l’article 249, § 2, du Code bruxellois du Logement prévoit, sous réserve d’une procédure contentieuse, la libération de la garantie dans un délai maximal de deux mois à compter de la remise des clés et, à défaut, une majoration de 10 % du loyer mensuel pour chaque période mensuelle commencée.]

Si vous estimez pouvoir retenir une partie de la garantie, je vous remercie de m’en indiquer par écrit les postes et les montants, avec les justificatifs. À défaut d’accord, je me réserve le droit de saisir le juge de paix.

Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées. [Prénom et nom] [Adresse]

Ask for repairs

The landlord must hand over the home in good repair and carry out all repairs other than the tenant’s small repairs (réparations locatives); repairs due to age or force majeure are the landlord’s (art. 219 and 223 CBL; art. 7, 8 and 15 of the Walloon decree; art. 12, 25 and 26 VWHD). Each region publishes a list of tenant repairs. Tell the landlord in writing as soon as a repair is needed, with photos; in Flanders, if you do not, the resulting repairs become yours. If the home falls below minimum safety, health or equipment standards, you can demand the works or ask the court to end the lease, and the judge may reduce the rent; in Wallonia, you must first send a mise en demeure (formal notice) to the landlord (art. 9, § 2). You must allow urgent works, and the rent is reduced if they last more than 40 days in Wallonia (art. 21) or 30 days in Flanders (art. 27 VWHD).

Do not stop paying rent: only the juge de paix can order the works, reduce the rent or end the lease. The juge de paix of the place where the home is hears tenancy disputes whatever the amount (art. 591 C. jud.). You can apply by a written request (requête) at the court registry, without a bailiff (art. 1344bis C. jud.), or first ask, even orally, for a free conciliation hearing (art. 731/1 and 732 C. jud.).

Objet : Mise en demeure — réparations — [adresse du logement]

Madame, Monsieur,

Le [date], j’ai constaté dans le logement que je loue, situé [adresse du logement], le problème suivant : [description du problème et pièce concernée], qui [conséquences sur l’usage du logement]. [Je vous l’ai signalé le [date] par [moyen utilisé].] Je joins [photos ou autres pièces].

Cette réparation ne relève pas des réparations locatives à charge du preneur. Je vous mets donc en demeure de faire exécuter les travaux nécessaires dans un délai de [quinze] jours à compter de la réception de la présente et de me communiquer la date d’intervention. Pour convenir de l’accès au logement, vous pouvez me joindre au [numéro de téléphone].

À défaut, je me réserve le droit de saisir le juge de paix.

Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées. [Prénom et nom] [Adresse]

Post your letters and keep evidence

For deposit and repair letters, upload your final PDF or write the letter in MaisonMail, and add photos or documents as PDFs in the send flow. The recipient address determines the destination; available services, estimated delivery and the final price appear before payment. Keep a copy of every letter and attachment. Tracking shows that an item arrived, not what it contained. Your notice period starts on the first day of the month after the landlord receives it, so post it early enough to arrive before the end of the month. In Wallonia, a MaisonMail letter is not valid notice: send your congé (notice) by registered post, have it served by a bailiff or hand it to the landlord against a dated signature on a copy. In Brussels and Flanders, a tracked letter is legally possible, but a lettre recommandée (registered letter) is the safer proof, and you must use one if your lease requires it.