From 1 May, stricter rules on rents apply in the Brussels region. Electrical appliances including dishwashers and laptops will also have to display a repairability score. These and other changes are introduced on Mayday.
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New on Mayday: cap on Brussels rents and repair score for electrical appliances
Colin Clapson
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Rents across the Brussels region are being capped and limited to a figure of only 20 per cent above the reference price.
Landlords in the Brussels region will no longer be allowed to charge ‘excessive’ rents.
Since December 2022, landlords have been obliged to state the reference rent or a margin around that price in every lease. The reference is revised every year by the region.
In early April, the Brussels parliament approved a bylaw tightening the rules. Under certain conditions landlords who still charge too high a rent risk seeing that tenants can request a rent review.
There are exceptions, however. Extra features of the property or its surroundings can still justify a higher rent. In contrast, rent can be considered excessive if the property has quality defects, even if the rent is less than 20 per cent above the benchmark.
Repairability score becomes mandatory for electrical appliances such as dishwashers and laptops
Belgium is the second EU country to introduce a repairability index. From 2 May, appliances such as dishwashers, hoovers, high-pressure cleaners, lawnmowers and touchscreen laptops will have to state a score indicating how easy they are to repair. The score ranges from 1 to 10.
Several criteria are assessed when calculating that score. These include the availability of technical repair information and maintenance manuals. The ease of disassembly and the availability and delivery time of spare parts are also taken into account. In addition, the ratio between the price of spare parts and that of a new appliance is also considered.
The measure is part of the federal government’s action plan for the circular economy.
To guide consumers, on the platform herstelmij.be the Repair&Share expertise centre brings together more than 1,200 electrical repairers, from independent technicians to Repair Cafés and thrift shop.
Authorities get central point of contact for digital security
From 1cMay, the Flemish Centre for Digital Security (VCDV) will become the central point of contact for digital security in Flanders. Housed at Digitaal Vlaanderen, the centre will actively respond to incidents and coordinate expertise and services for Flemish and local authorities.
The VCDV supports everyone in the government administration dealing with digital security. This involves close cooperation with Belgium’s Centre for Cybersecurity, police forces, academic institutions and private experts.
In addition, the centre is developing a Flemish strategy for digital security and a policy framework to implement that strategy, Flemish premier Matthias Diependaele (Flemish nationalist N-VA) said earlier this year.