Selling or buying a home in Belgium: the electrical inspection without surprises
What the RGIE requires from the seller and the buyer, what a negative report means, and how we bring the installation up to standard in Brussels, Walloon Brabant and Flemish Brabant. We work in English.
Three things to know before you sign
The seller has it inspected
Before the deed is signed, the seller must have the electrical installation inspected by an approved inspection body. The report is handed to the buyer.
A negative report does not stop the sale
The sale can go ahead. It is then up to the buyer to fix the breaches and have an approved body inspect again, within 18 months of the notarial deed.
A figure changes the negotiation
With a quote for the corrections in hand, seller and buyer negotiate on a real amount, not on a fear.
Two ways to handle a negative report
Do the work before the sale
A compliant report reassures buyers and removes a bargaining point. We fix the breaches and book the new visit by the approved body.
Sell as is, quote in hand
You add our quote to the sale file: the buyer knows exactly what to expect, and the price discussion rests on a real amount.
Your obligations after a negative report
Notify the inspection body
Give your identity and the date of the deed to the body that carried out the inspection.
Have the breaches fixed
Every breach listed in the report must be corrected by an electrician.
Book a new inspection
A new inspection, by the approved body of your choice, within 18 months of the notarial deed.
Meet the deadline
Without a new inspection on time, the body informs the FPS Economy.
We take care of the work side: site visit, firm quote, corrections and the appointment with the approved body.
What the inspection body flags most often
Insufficient earthing
Earth resistance too high or missing equipotential bonding, especially in older houses.
No 30 mA residual current device
Required in particular for the bathroom and washing machines.
Missing diagrams
The single-line and position diagrams must match the actual installation.
Bathroom zones
Sockets, switches or light fittings placed too close to the bath or shower.
Outdated or overloaded consumer unit
Old fuses, unsuitable protection: often the right time for a consumer unit replacement (in French).
Damaged wiring
Degraded insulation, unprotected conductors, bare connections.
Understand your report line by line or see our price ranges per breach (in French).
Supporting a sale?
Send us your client's inspection report: we reply with a costed estimate you can add to the file.
Professional area (in French)Electrical inspection and property sales: what people ask us
Yes. The obligation applies to every housing unit sold, house or apartment alike. The common parts of a building follow their own inspection rules.
25 years, as long as the installation has not been significantly modified. If it is still valid, it can be used for the sale.
After the deed, it is up to the buyer to have the installation corrected. But everything can be negotiated beforehand: work paid by the seller, a lower price or compliance work before the sale. A costed quote makes that discussion simple.
No. The inspection is done by an independent approved body, and that is how it should be: whoever inspects should not be whoever repairs. We do the work, then we book the inspection body's visit.
It is very common in Brussels. The report will probably be negative and the compliance work larger: all the more reason to have it priced as soon as the property goes on the market.
It depends on the breaches found. Our real price ranges, item by item, are in our price estimator (in French), and we price your report precisely on request.
An inspection report on the table?
Send it to us with a few photos of the consumer unit. We reply with a costed estimate, and we work in Brussels, Walloon Brabant and Flemish Brabant, in English.