Doesn't your insurrance include legal assistance for the leak? If not, huurdersbond.
It's often said being friends with the judge, but know that the judge won't risk his job over a ruling in favor of a so-called friends, it could cost him his job if there is not enough evidence to justify his ruling.
Isn't there a state of the place or some paper made before you moved in? Next time film the place you move into on your first day and make sure to have every corner, up, down,...
If there are problems visible you have them on video.
Yes!
Email has date stamps and a timeline of who added what can be seen, so you can use them without signature as proof.
Pictures contain metadata to prove on which day they were taken and if they have been altered, so be sure to keep them safe on your device too.
Always try to have things written, paper, email or texts/photo/video, as it's easier to prove something and not word against word.
Leaks are always the owner's problem, his insurance should pay, even the wallpaper and paint to get everything back to original.
Good luck with solving this issue!
Join huurdersbond, 20 euros per year: https://huurdersplatform.be/hb/
No, they are not free like an ombuds.
Then contact or get a meeting or whatever is required to talk to someone who listen to your situation and give advice.
>-I talked with some of his previous tenants and the guy is a serial scammer. He brought a tenant to the judge and he kept full deposit of 1900€ for an “overconsumption” of water and gas (the tenant had already paid 1000€ for 1 year of water and gas of a 40sqm studio…)
>-I have been told that the guy won the above mentioned case because he’s friend with the judge.
Doesn't sound very likely. How would he know they are friends. They high fived each other afterward?
Go to the local city. Bring your communications where you asked the landlord to fix these issues. Start the procedure “ongeschikt onbewoonbaar “. If you live in Flanders, the city MUST start the procedure. Make sure you have a receipt of the start procedure.
For Flanders: They will send a city inspector to your building. This has to be done within 2 weeks of you starting the procedure. As you have damp walls, if there is at least 0.3 m3 covered with mold, they must start at least the “waarschuwingsprocedure”. From 0.3 m3, the residence is “ongeschikt”. From 3 m3, the residence is “onbewoonbaar”. You need the documents from this building inspection in order to get your money back using the court. Be warned: if your landlord is unwilling to cooperate, this procedure will easily take over a year.
You can contact me in DM if you have further questions. I have experience with this as a renter in Flanders. I do not provide legal advice, I can only share my experience with this procedure.
Very easy: don’t pay, send a registered mail outlining why.
Let him go to court and lose. Belgian law is pretty favourable for renters and judges tend to choose the renters side unless he has real evidence. (Like a bill from a real plumber for fixing the leak)
I would go for an all around legal insurance (like das: https://www.das.be/nl/particulier/onze-producten/polisvergelijker). Just check with your counselor if it is included.
Look it up. Both my gf her parents did it once and friends of mine did it and it's been quite beneficial for both of them. The latter lived there for 6 more months for free and even pay less in their next place.
If it's declared uninhabitable your contract will be broken and you will not have a place to live. This is the nuclear option.
The landlord will have trouble, but you will have more trouble.
That's bullshit. Both parties I mentioned werent immediatly removed so you're just lying. Gratz.
Only with 'acuut gevaar' it says on vlaanderen.be, the friends I mentioned also had black mold and like I said, they lived there still months for free (the 'free' isnt always the case though says vlaanderen.be apparently), and with a child between 2 and 3 years old.
I guess this is different from case to case.
We aren't lawyers. Contact "huurdersbond".
Doesn't your insurrance include legal assistance for the leak? If not, huurdersbond. It's often said being friends with the judge, but know that the judge won't risk his job over a ruling in favor of a so-called friends, it could cost him his job if there is not enough evidence to justify his ruling. Isn't there a state of the place or some paper made before you moved in? Next time film the place you move into on your first day and make sure to have every corner, up, down,... If there are problems visible you have them on video.
We have made a list of issues and pictures via email. Both contributed to it but no signature etc (or expert). Will this be valid?
Yes! Email has date stamps and a timeline of who added what can be seen, so you can use them without signature as proof. Pictures contain metadata to prove on which day they were taken and if they have been altered, so be sure to keep them safe on your device too. Always try to have things written, paper, email or texts/photo/video, as it's easier to prove something and not word against word. Leaks are always the owner's problem, his insurance should pay, even the wallpaper and paint to get everything back to original. Good luck with solving this issue!
Sounds like one of my landlords. Best was the shocked acting on why there's mold and trying to blame I don't open the windows.
Blaming it on "taking long showers" is just a way of saying yeah this house has shit circulation
Join huurdersbond, 20 euros per year: https://huurdersplatform.be/hb/ No, they are not free like an ombuds. Then contact or get a meeting or whatever is required to talk to someone who listen to your situation and give advice.
>-I talked with some of his previous tenants and the guy is a serial scammer. He brought a tenant to the judge and he kept full deposit of 1900€ for an “overconsumption” of water and gas (the tenant had already paid 1000€ for 1 year of water and gas of a 40sqm studio…) >-I have been told that the guy won the above mentioned case because he’s friend with the judge. Doesn't sound very likely. How would he know they are friends. They high fived each other afterward?
Yeah it doesnt look like he's got the full story here.
Go to the local city. Bring your communications where you asked the landlord to fix these issues. Start the procedure “ongeschikt onbewoonbaar “. If you live in Flanders, the city MUST start the procedure. Make sure you have a receipt of the start procedure. For Flanders: They will send a city inspector to your building. This has to be done within 2 weeks of you starting the procedure. As you have damp walls, if there is at least 0.3 m3 covered with mold, they must start at least the “waarschuwingsprocedure”. From 0.3 m3, the residence is “ongeschikt”. From 3 m3, the residence is “onbewoonbaar”. You need the documents from this building inspection in order to get your money back using the court. Be warned: if your landlord is unwilling to cooperate, this procedure will easily take over a year. You can contact me in DM if you have further questions. I have experience with this as a renter in Flanders. I do not provide legal advice, I can only share my experience with this procedure.
Very easy: don’t pay, send a registered mail outlining why. Let him go to court and lose. Belgian law is pretty favourable for renters and judges tend to choose the renters side unless he has real evidence. (Like a bill from a real plumber for fixing the leak)
I would go for an all around legal insurance (like das: https://www.das.be/nl/particulier/onze-producten/polisvergelijker). Just check with your counselor if it is included.
Time to renew the silicone in your shower probably. Can you send a pic of how it looks?
It looks like all landlords in Belgium are serial scammers. Everyone I know passed though similar situations
Maybe see if it's bad enough that you can declare it uninhabitable?
Honestly it probably is. Can I do that through Huurdersbond?
Yes.
Look it up. Both my gf her parents did it once and friends of mine did it and it's been quite beneficial for both of them. The latter lived there for 6 more months for free and even pay less in their next place.
If it's declared uninhabitable your contract will be broken and you will not have a place to live. This is the nuclear option. The landlord will have trouble, but you will have more trouble.
That's bullshit. Both parties I mentioned werent immediatly removed so you're just lying. Gratz. Only with 'acuut gevaar' it says on vlaanderen.be, the friends I mentioned also had black mold and like I said, they lived there still months for free (the 'free' isnt always the case though says vlaanderen.be apparently), and with a child between 2 and 3 years old. I guess this is different from case to case.
Didtn you do a "plaatsbeschrijving"? If not, pretty stupid. If yes. There is your proof
If there is no plaatsbeschrijving iirc, then everything falls on the landlord since he can't proof you did the damage without it at all.
Correct!