Once a year, the landlord can index your rent. That means adjusting the price to the evolution of general prices for goods and services. This 'cost of living' is measured by the health index.
When can the rent be indexed?
Indexation occurs at the earliest on the anniversary date of your rental contract. That is, one year after the start date of your rental contract. Does the landlord request the indexation later than that anniversary date? Then you have to pay up to the three months before.
Example: Your lease started on March 1, 2019. Then the landlord may index the rent every year in March (March 2020, March 2021 ...). Does the landlord request the indexation later, say in November 2020? Then you only have to pay the indexed rent starting in August.
Does your rental contract exclude indexation? Then the landlord may not index the rent.
Does the indexation happen automatically?
No. The landlord must request the indexation in writing.
How is the indexation calculated?
The rent increases according to the evolution of the cost of living, based on the health index figure. Calculate your index via the Vlaamse Huurcalculator.
Is your contract signed after January 1, 2019?
Then the index is calculated according to this formula:
basishuurprijs x nieuw indexcijfer
aanvangsindexcijfer
- basishuurprijs = the rent as stated in the rental contract, without the additional costs
- nieuw indexcijfer = the health index figure of the month prior to the month of the anniversary date of your rental contract
- aanvangsindexcijfer = the health index figure for the month prior to the month in which your rental contract started
Indexation and EPC
In these cases, the landlord may not fully index:
- Your lease started before 1/10/2022, and
- The property's EPC label is D, E or F or the property does not have a (valid) EPC label.
The landlord must then apply a correction factor.
