When do you need an EPB certificate in Brussels?
Anyone selling or renting out a home in Brussels must have an EPB certificate (PEB in French: the energy performance of buildings). It states how much energy the home uses, with a class from A to G. It has been required since 2011, is valid for ten years and is drawn up by a certifier approved by Brussels Environment.
What it shows and what the advert must state
The certificate gives the energy class and the home’s consumption in kWh per m² per year. Both are already in the advert. It applies to every home of at least 18 m² that is sold or rented out. Without one, you risk an administrative fine of 50 to 62,500 euros.
A purchase involves other points too, such as the Brussels glossary and the right of pre-emption in Brussels. What a report on an address costs is listed under Perceelscan pricing. You can work out the taxes on a purchase for free with the registration duties calculator and the property tax calculator.
The renovation obligation: announced, not yet in force
The ordinance of 7 March 2024 wrote a renovation obligation into the Brussels Code of Air, Climate and Energy Management (CoBrACE): every home would first have to use at most 275 kWh per m² per year (roughly class E, with 2033 as the date) and then 150 kWh (class C, at the earliest end 2045 according to Brussels Environment). On Justel this provision is marked as future law, with no date of entry into force: it does not apply yet.
Brussels Environment also wants every home to have a certificate, even without a sale or rental, from end 2030 at the earliest. The notaries' model sale agreement already points the buyer of a class F or G home to these plans.
What it means for you as a buyer
A class F or G home is cheaper, but may need renovation later. Cost insulation, windows and heating before you make an offer, and check the status of the renovation obligation just before you buy, with the notary or Brussels Environment.
What the Perceelscan says about it
Nothing: the EPB certificate is not in an open register by address. Ask the seller for it.
Do you have to renovate a home in Brussels after buying it?
Not today: the renovation obligation is in the law but not yet in force. It would first aim at roughly class E, later class C. Check the status with the notary.
In the other regions
- In Flanders: How do I find the EPC of a home?
- In Wallonia: When is a PEB certificate required in Wallonia?
Sources
- Brussels Environment: the EPB certificate of a home
- Brussels Environment: the EPB targets for every home
- Renolution: the obligations
- The Brussels Code of Air, Climate and Energy Management (CoBrACE)
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