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Who pays for the inspection report?
By law, the inspection report is drawn up "at joint expense". If tenant and landlord jointly appoint one expert, they share the costs, usually half each. If each party chooses its own expert, each pays its own. If the parties draw up the report themselves, it costs nothing but time, or from €30 with AI software.
What does the law say about the costs?
Article 1730 §1 of the (old) Belgian Civil Code, carried over into the regional lease rules, states that the detailed inspection report is drawn up "adversarially and at joint expense". This cost allocation is mandatory law for residential leases: a contract clause that puts the full cost on the tenant alone conflicts with it.
The three scenarios at a glance
- The parties draw up the report themselves. No external costs. Tenant and landlord walk through the property together, document its state and both sign. With AI software the writing happens automatically from €30 per report.
- The parties jointly appoint one expert. The costs are shared, in practice usually half each. Expect a few hundred euros in total, depending on the size of the property.
- Each party brings its own expert. Each party then carries the costs of its own expert. This mainly happens when the parties already disagree beforehand.
What does an expert-made report cost?
The rates of surveyors and property experts vary with the size and type of the property. For an apartment the total price is usually between €200 and €400; for larger houses it can exceed €500. With a joint appointment each party therefore pays half of that. For the move-out inspection you often pay again.
The alternative: do it yourself with AI
More and more landlords and professionals draw up the inspection report themselves with software. You photograph the property, the AI writes the detailed room-by-room report and you review it. At €30 and up per report the cost is an order of magnitude lower than an expert, and the result is just as legally valid once both parties review and sign it. How the parties split that cost is up to them; the legal starting point remains joint expense.
And for the move-out inspection?
The same logic applies to the end-of-lease inspection: adversarial and at joint expense. In practice the same method is often chosen as at move-in, so both documents are comparable. That makes settling any tenant damage through the rental deposit much easier.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Can the lease put all costs on the tenant?
No. The law prescribes drawing up "at joint expense" and that rule is mandatory for residential leases. Such a clause would not hold up in a dispute.
Do I have to accept the expert the other party proposes?
No. A joint expert requires both parties' agreement, including on the cost split. Without agreement, each party can bring its own expert or ask the justice of the peace to appoint one.
Who pays the expert appointed by the justice of the peace?
Those costs are in principle also shared, unless the judge decides otherwise.
Do I pay for registering the inspection report?
No. Registration of the lease and the inspection report is free for residential leases.
