New obligations for rental agreements in Brussels

PUBLISHED ON 27/05/2025

In April 2025, the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region approved a new ordinance making it compulsory to use the reference rent grid for all residential rental agreements. From 1 May 2025, this new measure, as specified in Article 224/1 of the Brussels Housing Code, is designed to manage the regional rental market. The Expat Welcome Desk explains the main changes and implications.

What is the reference rent grid?

The reference rent grid is a digital tool that can be accessed online to estimate the reference rent for a property based on objective criteria such as:

Living area
Geographical location (by neighbourhood or statistical sector)
The number of bedrooms
Specific features (lift, terrace, garden, energy performance, etc.)
The property’s general condition and the year in which it was built

The result is a rent range (minimum, median and maximum) corresponding to the parameters indicated. The free tool can be found on the loyers.brussels website.

Landlord’s obligations

By law, since December 2021, any residential rental agreement concluded in the Brussels-Capital Region must specify the ‘reference rent‘ for the dwelling in addition to the actual rent charged. This obligation makes it possible to calculate and check the difference between the two amounts.

Since 1 May 2025, landlords must charge a rent that is not excessive. Failing this, the tenant may request a review of the rent charged.

The rent charged is potentially excessive if it:

exceeds the reference rental price by 20%. However, this presumption can be rebutted if the landlord can prove that this is justified by specific characteristics (comfort) of the dwelling or its surroundings.
does not exceed the reference rental price by 20% according to the grid, but the dwelling or its surroundings have specific quality defects.

It is worth noting that this grid is merely indicative, which means that it provides a frame of reference rather than a binding rental price. Landlords may charge a rental price outside this range provided they can justify it, more specifically after renovation or energy improvements or because of specific equipment.

Requesting a rent review

Principle

For short-term contracts and contracts with a duration of more than one year

The request can only be submitted in the third month after the contract entered into force.

For longer-term leases (nine years)

The request for a review can only be submitted from the fourth month of the contract.

Please note: there is one exception: if the court has already ordered the landlord to review an excessive rent for the same property, the tenant can request a review at any time.

The Joint Rental Commission

Both the tenant and the landlord can request an opinion from the “Commission Paritaire Locative” (CPL, Joint Rental Commission) on whether or not the rent charged is excessive. The CPL acts as a mediator.

It can issue an opinion on the fairness of the rent, but its decision is not binding. If the tenant and the landlord fail to amicably resolve the issue, the tenant can request a review by the Justice of the Peace Court.

Further information on this website.

The Justice of the Peace Court – “Le juge de paix”

The matter may be referred to the Justice of the Peace Court directly or without agreement between the parties following a conciliation organised by the CPL. The tenant may also request a review of the allegedly abusive rent by the Justice of the Peace Court. It may also request the opinion of the Joint Rental Commission before ruling on the matter.