According to the Belgium renting law you always have to inform the landlord 3 months in advance if you want to leave the apartment. A contract will never stop automatically. So you have to send a recommended letter to the landlord 3 months before you leave. The 3 months’ notice period starts on the first of the month following on the month on which the letter has been sent. Please also send a copy of this letter to Skyline.
If the lease agreement is concluded for a period of less than 6 months, it expires on the expiry of the agreed term without the need to give notice (unless extended).
The lease for a period of six months or more (maximum three years) will terminate upon notice of termination (by registered letter) by either party at least 3 months before the expiry of the agreed period. The tenant can at any time terminate the rental contract, provided that he informs the landlord 3 months in advance by registered letter and pays compensation to the landlord equivalent to one month’s rent. The lease may be extended one or more times, only in writing and under the same conditions, without the total term of the lease being greater than three years. In the absence of a holiday notified on time, of valid extension or if the tenant continues to occupy the premises without opposition from the lessor, the lease agreement shall be deemed to have been concluded for a period of nine years from the date of the taken from the original short-term lease. In this case, the rent and other conditions remain the same as those agreed in the original short lease agreement. The landlord may only terminate after the first year of rent due to personal occupation, subject to three months’ notice and a cancellation fee of one month’s rent.
If it is a 9-year lease, the tenant will have the right to break the present lease at any time by means of a written notice sent by registered mail to the landlord, giving at least three months’ notice. The tenant will have to pay compensation, equivalent to 3 months’ rent, if the contract is cancelled in the first year; two months’ rent if the contract is cancelled in the second year and 1 month’s rent if the contract is cancelled in the third year.
The apartment must be handed back in the same good condition as it was provided when you started your lease. It needs to be cleaned and all maintenance has to be up-to-date, so please provide evidence that the boiler or heating system has been professionally serviced.
Before you leave the property the utility meters will be assessed by a professional surveyor. Please contact the expert to organise the outgoing survey (info@elci.be). On the day of inspection they will take the final readings on the electric meter, so you can close your contract with ELECTRABEL and any other utility providers. When the surveyor is with you, you must hand over the apartment keys, so you must be prepared and ready as this is the moment of moving-out.
Please remember to terminate your contract with your TV/INTERNET provider. Typically these providers require at least 1 months’ notice.
You can go to the local post office and ask for the box to be closed and request to have your mail forwarded. This is a payable service, so please check www.bpost.be for more information.
Once the keys have been given back and an outgoing survey has been completed satisfactorily, your SRS consultant can arrange for your bank guarantee to be released.