EN
Tenant insurance protects tenants against the financial consequences of certain risks linked to the home they rent.
In Belgium, insurance obligations depend on the Region where the property is located and, in some situations, on the date when the lease was signed or renewed.
In Wallonia, fire insurance is mandatory for residential leases signed or renewed from 1 September 2018. In Flanders, tenants covered by the rules introduced on 1 January 2019 must insure their liability for fire and water damage. In Brussels, tenants entering into or renewing a lease from 1 November 2024 must also be insured against fire and water damage.
When you rent a house or apartment, you live in a property that belongs to someone else.
A fire, water leak or other incident can cause significant damage to the building.
Depending on the circumstances, you may be legally liable for that damage as a tenant.
Tenant insurance can cover this liability within the limits, conditions, deductibles and exclusions of the policy.
However, tenant liability and insurance for your own belongings are not the same thing.
A proper tenant insurance assessment should therefore consider:
Tenant insurance is mandatory in many situations, but the rules differ between the three Belgian Regions.
For residential leases signed or renewed from 1 September 2018, tenants must have fire insurance and provide evidence of that insurance to the landlord.
Under the Flemish rental rules that entered into force on 1 January 2019, tenants must insure their liability for fire and water damage.
From 1 November 2024, Brussels introduced an insurance obligation for tenants covered by the new rules. For relevant leases signed or renewed from that date, tenants must be insured against fire and water damage.
The date and type of your lease therefore remain important when determining the rules that apply to you.
A tenant insurance policy may contain several different types of cover.
Tenant liability insurance may intervene when you are legally liable for insured damage to the home you rent.
Your furniture, clothes, electronics and other personal belongings can also be damaged by fire, water or another insured event.
Cover for your belongings must therefore be checked separately.
A loss may extend beyond your own home.
A water leak can damage the apartment below yours. A fire can affect neighbouring properties.
It is therefore important to check how your policy covers liability towards third parties.
The SWINZ package includes Tenant Liability & Contents cover for your main rented residence in Belgium, together with Private Liability cover.
The package also includes other forms of protection such as Legal Protection, Travel & Assistance, Soft Mobility and BOB.
The exact cover, limits, deductibles, conditions and exclusions are defined in the applicable insurance documents.
Imagine that you rent an apartment and your washing machine causes a major water leak.
The floor in your apartment is damaged and water also reaches the apartment below.
Several different questions arise:
This is why tenant insurance should be considered as a combination of protections rather than simply as a requirement in a rental agreement.
Not necessarily.
The landlord's insurance and the tenant's insurance protect different interests and liabilities.
No.
Contents cover depends on the insurance policy. You should check whether your belongings are insured and up to which amounts.
A waiver of recourse may prevent the landlord's insurer from recovering certain amounts from the tenant after an insured loss.
It does not automatically mean that your belongings or every type of liability towards third parties are covered.
No.
Tenant liability relates specifically to your liability connected with the rented property.
Private liability insurance covers liability arising from many other situations in your private life.
At a minimum, check:
tenant liability + contents + third-party liability + deductibles + exclusions.
Discover the protections included in the SWINZ package and check whether they fit your situation.
