What is a bail 3-6-9 in Belgium?

The standard 9-year residential lease, divided into 3-year triennia; tenants can terminate at any time with 3 months notice, subject to statutory indemnity if terminating in years 1–3.

What is an état des lieux in a Brussels rental?

A detailed entry inventory and condition report conducted by a certified expert, legally required to establish baseline property condition for deposit return.

Belgium · EUR

Rentin Brussels

Residential tenancies in Brussels operate under the Brussels Housing Code, standardizing the classic 9-year lease (bail 3-6-9) and short-term fixed leases with mandatory contract registration.

Registry path

Title checked

3D map

6%Flanders, above the €100k band

12.5%Brussels & Wallonia

Waarborgtwo months, regulated account

Health indexthe legal rent escalator

What a purchase really costs

€ 400.000 home in Brussels

Registration duty (12.5% south, 6% Flanders) (6%): € 24.000
Notaris fees — statutory scale (≈1%): € 4.000
Cash needed at closing: € 428.000

≈ +7% over the price. Flanders cut its registration duty to 6% (2024, above a €100k exemption band for all buyers; first-homes get further reductions), while Brussels and Wallonia keep 12.5% with own first-home abatements. The notaris is mandatory and runs the cadastre check. Foreigners buy freely; the cadastral income (kadastraal inkomen) drives annual property tax, not price.

Rentals run on rules

The rent side, in three lines

Deposits run two months (waarborg) in a regulated account.
Leases commonly run 3 years (renew 3+3) or 9-year commercial style for flats.
Indexation to health index is automatic if contracted — Belgian leases escalate on a formula, not the landlord’s mood.

Brussels prices off EU-institution wages; Antwerp off port money; Ghent off students.

The statutory rental guarantee (garantie locative) is capped at two months rent if paid into a blocked bank account (or three months via a bank guarantee). Leases must be registered for free with the SPF Finances within two months.

Rents can only be indexed annually in accordance with the official Belgian Health Index (indice santé) and the property’s PEB energy class rating.

FAQ

What is a bail 3-6-9 in Belgium?: The standard 9-year residential lease, divided into 3-year triennia; tenants can terminate at any time with 3 months notice, subject to statutory indemnity if terminating in years 1–3.
What is an état des lieux in a Brussels rental?: A detailed entry inventory and condition report conducted by a certified expert, legally required to establish baseline property condition for deposit return.

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