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Rental contracts clarifications
Hello
We will be moving to Brussels soon and are currently looking for an apartment.
Having had a long experience as a tenant in Greece, I felt quite at ease with this. That is, until I started doing some research on the subject.
From what I read, I have to be extra careful when signing a rental agreement.
I have a few questions on things that are more of an "implied" nature.
When one says that the apartment should be returned in the state that it was received in, what does this include?
For example, if it was freshly painted, should I have it painted before leaving? If not, what about holes from paintings etc? In Greece some difference in the state of the apartment due to usage is considered normal.
Should I check that any appliances included are working properly? How do I go about doing this?
What happens if one of the appliances breaks down during the period I am renting the apartment? I don't mean by faulty usage, which would obviously be my expense, but machines break down all the time.
Sorry for the really extensive post but I am really growing more and more concerned with every piece of info I read...
Thank you in advance for your help.
It is important that an etat des lieux is carried out and the lease registered. I can recommend Fabrice Fierens, engineer expert geometre, who did this for me and my tenant, and we split the cost. There is a full file including description and photos room by room, and of fixtures and appliances. I handed over a file of operating instructions for all appliances. In the meantime, I have replaced the oven, installed a water softener, repaired a leaking chimney, ... The agency which found my tenant was Latour et Petit - very professional. Here is the contact information:
fierensf@yahoo.fr latouretpetit.be
Others using this site can be more specific on pitfalls! Good luck, and welcome to Brussels!
You are right to be wary. I found myself repairing a seriously worn out heating system (about 30 years old) around once every couple of weeks in the winter. The first time I reported it's failure I was met with anger and indignation as I had signed, on the recommendation of a relocation agent, an agreement to be responsible for all "minor repairs that did not require a complete replacement".
A complete replacement was of course always going to be more expensive than a repair. Smart wording!
It simply never occurred to me that I might be responsible for repairing dodgy appliances that I thought I was paying the landlord for. Bit like hiring a car and being liable for it breaking down through no fault of your own. When I left, the expert ( eagerly egged on by the landlady) checked very carefully that all her ancient appliances were still fully functioning.
Highlights include the landlady running fingernails along 30 year old work tops to feel for scratches, insisting obviously 30 year old wall paper had been done only 3 years ago and best of all, getting down on her hands and knees to sniff the toilet floor while the expert rolled his eyes.
I recommend finding somebody who knows the ropes, the cons and the language. Do not trust an agent, they are working for the landlord and do not have your interests at heart. They can slap all sorts in that contract and hope you don't understand it. And they do.
"minor repairs that did not require a complete replacement"
Yes - standard clause. Tenant always covers repairs, landlord always covers beyond repair.
> seriously worn out heating system (about 30 years old)
Which you choose to rent.
I know it's a fairly emotional decision, as this is going to be your place to live, but a heating boiler costs about 3 months rent, and that's about what a landlord can expect to lose if a good tenant walks away because of it.
> It simply never occurred to me that I might be responsible for repairing dodgy appliances
or
It simply never occurred to me that these dodgy appliances might suggest a dodgy landlord who would rather throw away a thousand euros than invest a hundred.
> getting down on her hands and knees to sniff the toilet floor
Let's face it - you knew before then. You just wrote it off as her "being Belgian". You should have trusted your instincts and just written it off at an earlier stage.
> Do not trust an agent, they are working for the landlord
Well, as soon as they find a tenant, they get paid and have nothing more to do with it.
> relocation agent
Effin useless and in collusion with the estate agencies who are trying to shift difficult-to-shift properties on to overpaid foreigners. Better results direstly through Immoweb or Vlan.be
What I chose to rent, J, was a house that I thought would function properly and that items supplied by the landlord would function to an acceptable standard.
In Belgium it's a bit like renting a car and the rental company laughing it's arse of because you now have to pay for the wreck they suckered you in to hiring.
You may have been here too long if you think that is acceptable.
