What is a conformity certificate and when does it apply?

Anyone letting a home in Flanders must make sure it is fully in order and meets certain standards. The conformity certificate is an official document issued by the municipality showing that your home meets the minimum housing-quality standards. In some cases Wonen-Vlaanderen can also issue a conformity certificate. To check whether a home is compliant, safe and healthy, a housing inspector from the municipality or from Wonen-Vlaanderen carries out a conformity inspection. They check the home using a technical report. The home receives a conformity certificate if it is neither unfit nor uninhabitable and has enough smoke detectors. The conformity certificate also states the maximum number of permitted occupants.

In most Flemish municipalities you do not yet have to present a conformity certificate to let a home. But the municipality may make the certificate mandatory through a municipal regulation. More and more municipalities are actually doing so.

For Ghent, a phased rollout is under way. Want to know whether it is mandatory in your municipality? Consult the interactive map via the link below.

• Interactive map (geopunt.be)
• Brochure “Check the housing-quality standards” (Wonen Vlaanderen)