How to file a complaint for Housing Non-conformity
Are you a tenant with serious defects in your rental property? If your landlord is not responding to your concerns, you can file a complaint with Brussels Housing.
- Duration: 10 minutes
- Response: N/A
- Documents: Yes
- Mode: Digital and physical
Filing a complaint
A rental property must meet minimum standards for safety, sanitation and basic facilities. It is the landlord's responsibility to ensure that these minimum conditions are met from the outset and throughout the rental period.
You can file a non-compliance complaint with Brussels Housing through the Regional Housing Inspectorate (DIRL).
Important!
- The average time between filing a complaint and the inspection can be up to 4 months. To help us reduce this waiting time, please notify us as soon as possible by email at Opens in new windowinspectiondulogement@sprb.brussels if you wish to withdraw your complaint or if you are leaving the property.
- If the property presents imminent and serious risks to the your safety, it may be immediately banned from rental.
- A complaint could result in a rental ban, forcing tenants or occupants to move out.
- The DIRL is only responsible for the compliance of rental properties in Brussels (find out more).
- A rental ban leads to the lease becoming obsolete or invalid (for leases signed or renewed after 01/01/2018). You can obtain further information on this subject by consulting a housing association, lawyer, legal expert, or any other person specialising in this field.
You can file a complaint online or using the paper form which you can download below:
Downloads (only available in French and Dutch)
What happens next?
If your complaint is admissible, you will receive a letter from Brussels Housing notifying you of an inspection. The inspectors will visit your property to check whether it meets the requirements for safety, sanitation and basic facilities set out in the Brussels Housing Code.
If the inspectors find any technical defects during their visit, Brussels Housing will issue a formal notice to your landlord, requiring them to carry out the necessary work within 12 months.
If the tenant or occupant has to vacate the property following a rental ban, the DIRL's social unit will contact them to assess possible rehousing options and access to regional aid (relocation allowance, social housing, etc.).
Complaint admissibility and validity of the inspection
The DIRL is only responsible for the compliance of rental properties in Brussels. Its competence is verified at two points: when the complaint is filed and, if necessary, when the property is inspected (Opens in new windowsee some practical examples):
