That depends on which region your rented property's situated in. In Flanders, tenants have been under a legal duty to take out home insurance since 1 January 2019. Wallonia made tenant's insurance compulsory on 1 September of this year. Brussels has not yet officially gone that far. Your landlord may well include it as a lease term, however.

As a tenant, you are required to return the subjects of lease back to the owner in their original condition, which is why we recommend that you take out tenant’s liability insurance in any event, to make sure you're covered for the costs of restoring the property to that original condition following some untoward event.

Actually, yes as your landlord’s policy does not cover damage to the rented home for which you are responsible.

Even if your lease contract includes a ‘waiver of recourse’ option, we still recommend that you cover your liability as a tenant. Because, what if your landlord cancels their policy? Or the damage spreads to your neighbours, and this isn’t covered by your landlord’s policy?

We also recommend including cover for your personal belongings (furniture, clothing, PC, etc.) in your home insurance. Learn more about our home contents insurance.

As a tenant, you are usually not liable for a leak in a water pipe. Your landlord is responsible for taking this up with their insurer. Be sure to inform your landlord of the leak as soon as possible.

You don’t need to determine the value of your home contents yourself.
The contents of your home are insured up to 200 000 euros. The compensation for each individual object is 15 000 euros.

Items intended for your private use that you have temporarily moved elsewhere, are also covered.
For example:

• Your luggage during a holiday
• Items you carry on your person

Any items your children take with them to their lodgings, or any home contents you move to a retirement or care home, are also always covered under your home insurance policy.

A bicycle is part of your home contents and is covered under your home contents insurance, provided the bicycle was located at the address of your main residence when it was stolen. Theft of your bicycle from a different location is not covered, unless you have taken out separate bicycle insurance.

In Flanders, the landlord must buy and install smoke detectors.

Do the devices have replaceable batteries? Then the tenant must replace the batteries in time. This obligation applies to social rental homes, private rental homes, rooms and student rooms.

In an autonomous home (single-family dwelling, apartment or studio) there must be at least one smoke detector on every floor. Room homes must have a smoke detector on every floor and in every room.

Yes, home automation is covered under your home insurance policy.

Your tenant is usually not liable for a leak in a water pipe. As the landlord, you should take this up with your insurer.

We provide compensation based on the reconstruction value, i.e. the cost to rebuild the home, as at the date of the claim event, with comparable materials.
You are not required to rebuild your home. If you do choose to rebuild your home, the competent authority can impose specific building regulations in the planning permission granted or for your duty to report. We also cover the resulting additional costs, if applicable. These additional costs can never exceed the compensation you receive to rebuild your home. In other words, as a maximum, we double the compensation for the damage to your home.

Solar panels installed on your roof or in your garden are part of your home and are automatically insured against all risks.

If the home you are renting out becomes uninhabitable, due to, for example, fire or flooding, we will cover the loss you sustain as the owner as a result of being temporarily unable to rent out the building. You will receive this compensation during the period necessary for the reconstruction of your home.

In Flanders, the landlord must buy and install smoke detectors.

Do the devices have replaceable batteries? Then the tenant must replace the batteries in time. This obligation applies to social rental homes, private rental homes, rooms and student rooms.

In an autonomous home (single-family dwelling, apartment or studio) there must be at least one smoke detector on every floor.Room homes must have a smoke detector on every floor and in every room.

Yes, home automation is covered under your home insurance policy.

You don’t need to determine the value of your home contents yourself.
The contents of your home are insured up to 200 000 euros. The compensation for each individual object is 15 000 euros.

We provide compensation based on the reconstruction value; i.e. the cost to rebuild the home, as at the date of the claim event, with comparable materials.
You are not required to rebuild your home. If you do choose to rebuild your home, the competent authority can impose specific building regulations in the planning permission granted or for your duty to report. We also cover the resulting additional costs, if applicable. These additional costs can never exceed the compensation you receive to rebuild your home. In other words, as a maximum, we double the compensation for the damage to your home.

Solar panels installed on your roof or in your garden are part of your home and are automatically insured against all risks.

Items intended for your private use that you have temporarily moved elsewhere, are also covered.
For example:

• Your luggage during a holiday
• Items you carry on your person

Any items your children take with them to their lodgings, or any home contents you move to a retirement or care home, are also always covered under your home insurance policy.

However, items which are situated in a different location than yourself are not regarded as having been ‘temporarily moved’ and must be included in the cover taken out for that other location.

A bicycle is part of your home contents and is covered under your home contents insurance, provided the bicycle was located at the address of your main residence when it was stolen. Theft of your bicycle from a different location is not covered, unless you have taken out separate bicycle insurance.

If you are living in a home you own in Flanders, you will also have to install smoke detectors as of 1 January 2020.

In an autonomous home (single-family dwelling, apartment or studio) there must be at least one smoke detector on every floor.