They may well be listed somewhere in the small print of your rental contracts, but here are some reminders.
Pavement
Tenants are responsible for ensuring safe passage on the pedestrian pavement outside the house they rent (snow, ice; avoid salt in favour of good old-fashioned sweeping).
Maintenance and repairs
Due diligence
The Tenant shall occupy the accommodation with due diligence. If necessary, he shall report any damage the owner is responsible for repairing immediately by registered letter. If he fails to do so, he may be held responsible for the worsening of this damage.
Wear and tear
Repairs made necessary by normal wear and tear, obsolescence, a hidden defect or force majeure are at the expense of the owner.
Tenants’ due diligence includes maintenance and repairs, among others:
- routine repairs, unless the deterioration is due to age, a defect of its own or a breakdown that is not attributable to the tenant,
- garden maintenance (e.g. mowing the lawn +/- once a week in summer).
Airing
A lot of damage (and health risk) is caused by humidity, caused by faulty or broken installations, old problems, or bad ventilation. The former two must be rapidly pointed out to the owner by the tenant, whereas the third is part of tenants’ due diligence. This includes frequent ventilation, especially of bathrooms and kitchens, but avoid airing cold rooms when the air outside is warm and humid – this will lead to condensation on cold interior walls.
Limescale (Calcaire)
Tap water in Brussels is notoriously hard, which is why many owners install softener systems of one kind or another. Many don’t work, others raise the salt level in the resulting water.
At any rate, it’s a good idea to check all taps in your housing every few months:
- Normally, there are under-sink valves (where you can regulate the flow of hot/cold water as it comes out of the wall). Rotate each in both directions 3 to 4 times to clear limescale.
- Unscrew the little aerator insert at the tip of water taps and rinse in vinegar for a few hours.
Heating system maintenance
The Tenant shall ensure that the heating system is maintained and serviced in accordance with regional regulations. Proof must be submitted to the owner within 30 days of the intervention. This includes annual:
- professional descaling and maintenance of the water heater and the bath heater,
- professional chimney sweeping (makes sense for both fireplace & gas boiler in one go, fireplace chimney must be swept even if unused!).
Modifications and alterations
The tenant may not make any changes or alterations to the rented property without the prior written consent of the owner.
For each authorised alteration or conversion of the leased property, the parties shall agree in writing on how the work is to be carried out. Unless otherwise agreed, the work shall be at the exclusive cost of the tenant. The owner shall always have the right to demand that the premises be restored to their original state. This shall always be the case for any work carried out without the written agreement of the owner.
At the end of the works, an amendment to the initial state of the premises (Etat des lieux) shall be drawn up by mutual agreement between the parties, unless either party requires that it be drawn up by an expert appointed by mutual agreement, the costs of which shall be shared equally.
Insurance
Although no longer required by law, many rental contracts still contain the following sensible arrangement: The Tenant shall insure his furniture and the rental risks incumbent upon him against fire at his own expense and shall maintain this insurance throughout the term of the lease. A copy of the insurance policy must be submitted within 30 days of the signing of this lease. The Tenant shall provide proof of payment of insurance premiums upon request by the owner.