Search Q&A
Renting out property - standard to be met (electricity etc.)
We have some property to rent out.
We have heard that there are some standards to be met - with regards to electricity for example.
What exactly are these requirements?
The main target is expat short term furnished rent.
(With "standards" I also include what would be needed to have insurance in order for example
- the electricity needs to be certified by appropriate companies, which you can easily find on the yellow pages
- you need to obtain a PEB certificate which shows the energy consuption of the apartment.
- when you advertize the price you need to quote the charges as well, and you need to quote the result of your PEB certificate
- the rental contract needs to be registered together with the Etat des Lieux (entry survey). You have two months since the signature
- if you rent the property furnished, then taxes needs to be paid. For unfurnished property you only paid the Precompte Immobiler once a year
........ and you are going to need a notaire/notaris to draw up the contract for you, particularly as, since you are targeting the expat short term market, you cannot use a standard contract. The contract has to be in French or Dutch although you could provide a resumé in English.
Ask him or her to confirm what you need to have done before renting out the property as the precise regulations vary according to which region the property is situated in.
Also get him or her to explain the precise ramifications of a short-term contract - it still needs one or other party to give the requisite notice, for example, (although, if you wish and it is written into the contract, this could be less than the normal three full-calendar months), and it can only be extended once, and even then never for a total period greater than three years, as otherwise it will automatically convert into a standard nine-year contract.
