{"id":6765,"date":"2024-11-01T04:58:21","date_gmt":"2024-11-01T02:58:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/what-if-your-tenant-doesnt-pay-7-crucial-steps\/"},"modified":"2024-11-01T04:58:21","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T02:58:21","slug":"what-if-your-tenant-doesnt-pay-7-crucial-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/what-if-your-tenant-doesnt-pay-7-crucial-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"What if your tenant doesn&#8217;t pay? &#8211; 7 crucial steps"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Discover the 7 crucial steps to take when your tenant doesn&#8217;t pay. From legal considerations to practical tips, find advice for dealing with a defaulter and unpaid rent. <\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Contents &#8211; What if your tenant doesn&#8217;t pay<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Step 1: Registered notice of default<\/li>\n<li>Step 2: Registered proposal installment plan<\/li>\n<li>Step 3: Contact rental assistance<\/li>\n<li>Step 4: Contact the justice of the peace<\/li>\n<li>Step 5: Contact the bailiff<\/li>\n<li>Step 6: Have the lease officially terminated<\/li>\n<li>Step 7: Reclaim the overdue rent<\/li>\n<li>What is prohibited by law?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Step 1: Registered notice of default<\/h2>\n<p>You agreed on a day in the lease when the tenant must deposit his\/her rent. When you notice that your tenant is not paying, send him\/her a registered formal notice as soon as possible. Inquire about the reason for the late payment. Refer to your tenant&#8217;s obligations and set a deadline by which you expect the rent to be paid. Is the tenant temporarily unable to pay the rent? Then agree on a repayment plan. Make sure you put this plan in writing, so it is not open to discussion later. <\/p>\n<h2>Step 2: Registered proposal installment plan<\/h2>\n<p>Don&#8217;t get a response to your formal notice? Send him\/her a second registered letter and suggest in it a repayment plan of your own. <\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3095\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3095\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3095 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-postkantoor-1024x576.png\" alt=\"What if your tenant doesn't pay_Person in post office\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-postkantoor-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-postkantoor-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-postkantoor-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-postkantoor-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-postkantoor.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3095\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image: Person in post office<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Step 3: Contact rental assistance<\/h2>\n<p><em>This step is optional. It is usually the tenant who engages this service. You can skip this step.  <\/em><\/p>\n<p>If your tenant does not pay and refuses, fails to comply with the repayment plan or is unresponsive, engage a mediator as a third independent party. Choose a local mediation service, a free reconciliation hearing at the justice of the peace or the free mediation service for students. Find out where to do that here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vlaanderen.be\/hulp-bij-huurgeschillen#:~:text=Helpdesk%20Private%20Huur-,Huurbemiddeling,-De%20juiste%20informatie\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rent mediation in Flanders<\/a>  <\/p>\n<h2>Step 4: Contact the justice of the peace<\/h2>\n<p>If mediation fails, contact the justice of the peace with:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Prove by means of the written letters that you informed the tenant several formal times.<\/li>\n<li>The request to terminate the lease.<\/li>\n<li>Demand to order eviction of tenant.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Starting proceedings at the justice of the peace usually costs between 35 and 50 euros. This is the cost of the &#8220;rolling fee. The procedure starts in 3 ways:  <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>By voluntary appearance. Here, both parties jointly file a petition. <\/li>\n<li>By petition of the court.<\/li>\n<li>By a subpoena from the bailiff.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> The landlord (plaintiff) must advance the cost of the rolling fee.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3096\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3096\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3096 size-large\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-vrederechter-1024x576.png\" alt=\"What if your tenant doesn't pay_Free judge with gavel, pen and paper\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-vrederechter-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-vrederechter-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-vrederechter-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-vrederechter-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-vrederechter.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3096\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image: Justice of the Peace with gavel, pen and paper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Step 5: Contact the bailiff<\/h2>\n<p>If your tenant refuses to leave the property, call in a bailiff who will evict your tenant from the house or apartment already.<\/p>\n<h2>Step 6: Have the lease officially terminated<\/h2>\n<p>If your tenant left the property, contact the justice of the peace and ask him\/her to dissolve the lease. Upon approval, you will own your property again. <\/p>\n<h2>Step 7: Reclaim the overdue rent<\/h2>\n<p>When you regain possession of your property, you should try to get the rent back. Sometimes you get it back easily. Sometimes you have a tenant who doesn&#8217;t want to pay it back. In that case, there are these 4 options:   <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Contact the CPAS of your municipality.<\/li>\n<li>Contact the justice of the peace and ask him\/her to use the rent deposit.<\/li>\n<li>Ask the justice of the peace to have the bailiff seize movable property (such as furniture, car, TV, etc.). Then the bailiff sells these items to pay off the tenant&#8217;s debt. <\/li>\n<li>Ask the justice of the peace to seize the tenant&#8217;s income.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>7.1. Wat als de wanbetaler vlucht? <\/h3>\n<p>Send a registered letter of reminder to the new address as well as to the tenant&#8217;s e-mail address. Or to the address of your rental property, if you don&#8217;t know his\/her new address. If it turns out that your tenant no longer lives there, contact the bailiff. If the rent arrears have accumulated, contact your attorney to locate the tenant. <\/p>\n<h2>What is prohibited by law?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Note!<\/strong> If your tenant does not pay, you are legally prohibited from resolving the rental dispute yourself by replacing your locks and\/or evicting the tenant yourself (even if this is included in your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/soorten-huurcontracten\/\">lease<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3098\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3098\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3098 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-gevangene-1024x576.png\" alt=\"What if your tenant doesn't pay_Inmate in handcuffs\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-gevangene-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-gevangene-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-gevangene-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-gevangene-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt-gevangene.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3098\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image: Prisoner in handcuffs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Sources: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eerstehulpbijschulden.be\/schulden-wat-nu\/wat-kan-een-schuldeiser-doen\/beslag\/beslag-op-roerende-goederen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">First Aid Debt<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dewaele.com\/nl\/advies\/huurder-betaalt-niet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dewaele<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.test-aankoop.be\/woning-energie\/huren\/dossier\/huurder-betaalt-niet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Testaankoop<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vlaanderen.be\/hulp-bij-huurgeschillen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Flanders<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Would you like to cite this article as a source? Then use: <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Stiasteny, L. (2024, Nov. 1). What if your tenant doesn&#8217;t pay? Apartment.be. Accessed on (date XX\/XX\/202X), from https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wat-als-je-huurder-niet-betaalt\/   <\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/soorten-huurcontracten\/\">4 Types of leases according to legislation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/huurwoning-regels-volgens-wetgeving\/\">Rental property rules Flanders: what is allowed and what is not allowed?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover the 7 crucial steps to take when your tenant doesn&#8217;t pay. From legal considerations to practical tips, find advice for dealing with a defaulter and unpaid rent. Contents &#8211; What if your tenant doesn&#8217;t pay Step 1: Registered notice of default Step 2: Registered proposal installment plan Step 3: Contact rental assistance Step 4: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":5806,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1127,1128],"tags":[1179,1795,1124,1123,1130,1796,1283],"class_list":["post-6765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rent","category-rental","tag-advice","tag-defaulter","tag-legal","tag-legislation","tag-rental","tag-tenant-does-not-pay","tag-tips-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6765"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6765\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}