Buying a home in Brussels and Belgium: the steps

1. Set your budget

Base it on your own funds and what you can repay, and count the purchase costs and mortgage costs, not only the price (be.brussels). Two official sources give an order of magnitude for the extra costs: notaire.be speaks of about 15% of the price unless a reduced rate or allowance applies, and be.brussels says the costs can reach up to 18% on top of the price. In Brussels the biggest item is the registration duty (12.5%, with a €200,000 abatement for a sole home): see registration duties. To size your own case, use the purchase cost calculator and the borrowing capacity tool.

2. Line up the financing early

be.brussels advises starting the loan search at the same time as the home search. If you are new to Belgium, read mortgages in Belgium for expats and fixed or variable rate before you make an offer.

3. Choose a notary and find a property

be.brussels recommends consulting a notary early and notes that notary fees are the same whichever notary you choose. You can buy by private sale (possibly through an estate agent) or at public auction. Listings from notaries appear on Biddit and on the notaries’ immo portal (notaire.be). If you use an agent, check the IPI licence.

When you visit, ask for the energy performance (EPB) certificate: in Brussels it must be available from the moment the home is advertised, and the energy class must appear in the advertisement (Bruxelles Environnement).

4. Make an offer or take an option

• An offer states the buyer’s name, the address, the price, a validity period, any reservations and suspensive conditions (for example bank loan approval), with signature and date (be.brussels). notaire.be is blunt: “une offre engage”. If the seller accepts, the sale is concluded.
• An option is the seller’s one-sided promise not to sell to anyone else during a set period. You are not obliged to buy; if you take it up, the sale is final and the deed must follow within four months (notaire.be). A fee may be asked, kept by the owner if the option lapses and counted as a first deposit if you exercise it.

Set a clear expiry on any offer (notaire.be suggests, for example, 24 hours), and have a notary read it first. See the sale agreement.

5. Sign the sales agreement

Sign once your financing is confirmed (be.brussels). From then on neither party can withdraw: “Dès le compromis signé (sans condition), la vente est définitive” (notaire.be). Points to remember:

• A guarantee is not required by law but is very common; notaire.be suggests keeping it modest, for example 10% of the price, held at the notary’s office until the deed.
• A suspensive condition (such as getting a loan) must be written into the agreement before you sign.
• The buyer has a free accidental-death insurance between the agreement and the deed (notaire.be).
• If the home is let, the landlord must first inform the tenant of the sale and of the tenant’s right of first refusal (be.brussels).

6. Certificates and searches before the deed

In Brussels the seller must provide, among others (be.brussels): the soil certificate, the electrical inspection certificate, the EPB certificate, the post-intervention file, lease documents if let, the fuel-oil tank certificate, co-ownership data and planning information. The soil certificate must be given to the buyer “au stade du compromis ou de l’offre” (Bruxelles Environnement). Meanwhile the notary runs tax, mortgage, urban-planning and cadastral searches (notaire.be).

Registration duties must be paid within four months of signing the sales agreement (or of the suspensive conditions being met), before the deed is signed (be.brussels). Ask your notary, the day you sign, for the exact date in your file.

7. The deed

The notary reads the deed with seller and buyer, who received it in advance. The balance of the price is generally paid at signing, preferably by bank transfer, and the keys are handed over then. Notaries advise against handing over keys earlier. If you borrow, the loan deed is in principle signed the same day. Someone who cannot attend may be represented by proxy (notaire.be).

8. After the signature

The notary files the deed for registration within 15 days, pays the duties, and records the deed at the Bureau Sécurité juridique; from then on you are owner in the eyes of third parties (notaire.be). You then read the meters, transfer the water, gas and electricity accounts and redirect your mail. be.brussels strongly recommends fire insurance, which banks usually require for a mortgage.

Which professional to consult

A notary is the central person: searches, deed and collection of duties. A credit broker or your bank prepares the financing. A surveyor or building expert can help if you doubt the state of the property.