Yes: in Belgium a detailed, contradictory move-in inventory (état des lieux / plaatsbeschrijving) is mandatory for every main-residence lease, in all three regions (Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia). It must be drawn up either before you occupy the property or during the first month of the tenancy, then attached to the lease and registered together with it. Without a move-in inventory, the tenant is presumed to have received the property in the condition it is in at the end of the lease — which largely stops the landlord from claiming for damage. Here is what every landlord or tenant needs to know.

Is an inventory of fixtures really mandatory?

Since the 2018 regional rental decrees, the move-in inventory is a legal obligation, not just good practice. The rule is similar in all three regions: the parties must draw up a detailed and contradictory inventory.

• Detailed: it describes, room by room, the actual condition of the property at a given moment (walls, floors, ceilings, windows, sanitary ware, heating, appliances…). A vague note such as "good general condition" is not enough.
• Contradictory: it is drawn up in the presence of both parties (or their representatives), who can each add remarks and then sign it.

Regional framework: Flanders — Vlaams Woninghuurdecreet; Brussels — Brussels Housing Code (art. 220 ff.); Wallonia — decree of 15 March 2018 on residential leases.

When must it be done? (the deadline)

The move-in inventory must be drawn up either while the property is still unoccupied, or during the first month of the tenancy. After that window, neither party can be forced to complete it, because the home is already lived in — so don't put it off.

Practical tip: schedule the inventory on the day the keys are handed over, before the first moving box comes in.

What should an inventory contain? (fill-in template)

A good inventory goes through every room and every fixture. You can reuse the outline below, room by room:

Add dated photos for each room: they have no standalone legal value, but they carry real weight in a dispute. Always record the meter readings (water, gas, electricity) on the day you move in.

Does it have to be registered?

Yes. The move-in inventory must be attached to the lease and registered together with it, free of charge, at the FPS Finance. The duty to register the lease (and its annex) lies with the landlord, within two months. Regional point to remember: in Brussels, both the move-in and move-out inventories must be registered; in Flanders and Wallonia, registering the move-out inventory is not required. For everything about this formality, read our guide on registering a lease in Belgium.

What about the move-out inventory?

At the end of the lease, a move-out inventory is compared with the move-in one. The difference between the two — leaving aside normal wear and tear and ageing — determines what the landlord may legitimately withhold from the security deposit. That is exactly why the move-in inventory matters so much: with no baseline, damage cannot be proven. See what your landlord can (and cannot) deduct in our article on deposit deductions for wear and cleaning.

What happens if there is no inventory?

This is the decisive point. Without a detailed move-in inventory, the tenant is presumed to have received the property in the condition it is in at the end of the lease. In other words, the landlord cannot in principle claim compensation for rental damage, unless they prove the initial condition some other way — which is very hard. So a move-in inventory mostly protects… the landlord. For the tenant, it prevents pre-existing defects from being charged to them. If your deposit is being wrongly withheld, see what to do when a landlord won't return the deposit.

Do you need an expert, and who pays?

You can draw it up yourselves (landlord and tenant together) or bring in an expert. If the parties cannot agree, one of them can ask the Justice of the Peace — by a petition filed before the one-month window expires — to appoint an expert. The expert's fees are split fifty-fifty between landlord and tenant.

This is general information, not legal advice. The rules vary by region and by the date the lease was signed; if in doubt or in a dispute, consult the competent Justice of the Peace or a legal professional.

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