Complete Guide
The rental guarantee
in Belgium
Definition, legal amounts by region, types of rental guarantees, how they work, and coverage: everything you need to know before signing a rental lease in Belgium.
Definition
What is the rental guarantee?
A rental guarantee is a form of financial security provided by the tenant to the landlord at the time the rental lease is signed. It allows the landlord to protect against any potential breaches of the tenant’s contractual obligations.
Regional Legislation
What is the maximum amount of the rental guarantee?
Since 2018–2019, each Belgian region has had its own legislation governing rental leases. The maximum amount of the rental guarantee varies depending on the region where the rental property is located.
The 5 Legal Forms
What types of rental guarantees are there in Belgium?
Belgian law allows for five ways to provide a rental guarantee. Each has different advantages and limitations depending on the tenant’s situation.
The tenant deposits the rental guarantee into an escrow account, which can only be accessed at the end of the rental lease or by court order. The funds remain frozen for the entire duration of the rental lease.
The bank acts as a guarantor for the tenant, who repays the amount gradually over a maximum period of 3 years. Requires the bank’s approval and an account opened in Belgium.
Intended for tenants who lack sufficient income, this program allows the CPAS to act as a guarantor with a bank to facilitate access to housing.
The tenant takes out a life insurance policy in which the funds paid as a security deposit earn interest until the end of the lease. This is a little-known option that combines savings with a guarantee.
A relative or an accredited professional organization, such as garantie.be, acts as a guarantor for the tenant in exchange for an annual fee, with no upfront deposit required. This is the most flexible solution for the tenant. See also our comparison with e-DEPO.
How It Works
How does the rental guarantee work?
The tenant must provide security before signing the lease. Depending on the method chosen, the tenant may make a security deposit in a bank, obtain a bank guarantee, or take out a joint and several guarantee from an organization such as garantie.be.
Once the security deposit has been established, a certificate or confirmation is issued and sent to the landlord. With the online rental guarantee service at garantie.be, you can obtain this certificate in just a few hours.
Escrowed or secured funds cover the tenant’s financial obligations under the rental lease that the tenant has failed to meet: unpaid rent, rental charges, and damage noted in the inventory report. To obtain these funds, the landlord must first file a lawsuit and have the judgment made enforceable.
The scope of the security deposit depends on the wording of the lease. If the lease states that the security deposit covers all of the tenant’s obligations, the landlord may use it to cover unpaid rent, utilities, and rental damage. If the rental lease limits the rental guarantee to rental damage only, it cannot be used to cover unpaid rent.
The rental guarantee must be secured before signing the rental lease, along with the other required documents. If you use a blocked bank account, you should allow several days for the transfer to be processed. With garantie.be, the certificate is available within a few hours.
Available Financial Aid
What assistance is available to help establish a rental guarantee?
There are several assistance programs in Belgium for tenants whose financial resources are insufficient to cover their security deposit on their own.
The Housing Fund and the Brugal Fund offer specific assistance to low-income tenants in Brussels.
The CPAS can act as a guarantor for a bank to enable a tenant who lacks sufficient resources to obtain a bank guarantee.
Get your rental guarantee without tying up any money
Garantie.be offers a joint and several guarantee in accordance with Belgian law. You’ll receive a response within a few hours, and the certificate will be sent directly to your landlord.