The trend (so to speak) is towards scams of every kind. Technological developments, some of which are very beneficial, also serve fraudsters. Warnings are numerous yet, despite this, some landlords continue to get fleeced. Certainly, the phenomenon remains marginal and one should never generalise from individual cases. But it is important to separate the wheat from the chaff, and to take the right precautions before signing a contract or even irregularly handing over a property.
In lease matters: four types of tenant-file scams
Serious landlords here are not talking about their tenants or other honest parties: it is the marginal cases that cause problems. But these marginal cases can cost years of rental income and long, uncertain court proceedings.
1. The fake bank rental deposit
The rental deposit is highly regulated by Belgian law. Yet some owners are shown fake bank rental deposits, which they only discover on the day they should be triggered, i.e. too late.
Protection comes from knowledge: in Belgium the rental deposit only takes three legal forms (individualised bank account in the tenant's name, pure bank guarantee, or CPAS intervention). Any other formulation presented as a "bank guarantee" should raise a flag.
The minimum check: contact the issuing bank directly using the public number you find yourself, never the one given to you by the candidate, to confirm the existence and amount of the deposit.
2. Fake pay slips
Fake pay slips circulate massively, generated by online tools that produce documents of professional appearance. Fraud indicators:
- Suspiciously round amounts (a real salary is almost never a round number after deductions)
- Defective internal consistency: social security amounts that do not match the gross, cumulative totals that do not add up
- Generic layout that does not match the model of the payroll office or the declared employer
- Single typeface throughout the document (real pay slips often mix several fonts)
The minimum check: request a recent employer certificate (less than 30 days old), with the direct phone number of the HR department. Call this number independently (first check that it is indeed the employer via the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises).
3. The fake employer
There are two distinct variants here:
- Either purely and simply a forgery in writing: the employer exists, but the certificate has been fabricated without their knowledge
- Or a fake employer that does not exist and is in fact complicit with the dishonest tenant candidate
Of course, these are rare cases, but they exist. As with fake pay slips. You therefore need to verify carefully, as well as certificates from former owners that sometimes only exist in the fertile imagination of certain tenant candidates.
The minimum check: verify the employer's existence via the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (https://kbopub.economie.fgov.be), confirm their address, and call the main number, not the one shown on the certificate.
4. Fake former landlord certificates
Rarer but existing: the candidate presents a glowing certificate from their former landlord stating that they have always paid their rent on time and maintained the property.
The simple test: call the former owner using a number YOU find (lease register, mortgage registry, directory), not the one shown on the certificate. If the number matches a generic voicemail or if the person seems puzzled by your call, the certificate is suspect.
In trades matters: the new frontier of scams
Very often, and fortunately, real estate owners have their usual tradespeople and trust them. Problems arise when they are forced to call on new service providers found through letterboxes, advertisements in some free newspapers, or, worse, who appear at markets or who come ring your doorbell "after inspecting your roof from the street", your window frames, your glazing.
Warning signals
| Indicator | Risk |
|---|---|
| Spontaneous door-to-door canvassing | High |
| Excessive deposit requested (> 30 %) | High |
| No detailed written quote | High |
| Pressure to sign immediately | High |
| No verifiable fixed address | Critical |
| No functioning VAT number | Critical |
| 10-year guarantee given only verbally | Critical |
In these cases, the deposits demanded are prohibitive, are never refunded, nor are the solicitors themselves, who disappear once the sum is pocketed.
Legal protections
Several legal protections exist:
- 7-day right of withdrawal for contracts concluded at home (law of 21 December 2013, Code of Economic Law, Book VI)
- Written quote mandatory above 25 euros for certain trades
- Verification of the company number via the CBE for any service provider
- Verification of professional insurance (professional civil liability, decennial liability for major works)
These protections only help if you invoke them before paying. Once the deposit is paid, recovering it requires long and uncertain legal proceedings.
Concrete recommendations for landlords
At the tenant application stage
- Cross-check at least two sources for each declared item (pay slip + employer certificate, deposit + bank confirmation)
- Check the employer in the CBE
- Call references using the number YOU find, not the one provided by the candidate
- Request a tax opinion (form 276.2, Request for an opinion on the tax situation) for important files
- Never give in to urgency: a good tenant prefers a prudent landlord. Pressure to sign is in itself a warning signal
At the works and intervention stage
- Always work with your usual service providers for routine operations
- For a new service provider, request 2-3 verifiable references AND a detailed written quote
- Never accept spontaneous door-to-door canvassing without prior verification
- Check the CBE to confirm the existence and status of the company
- Stagger the payments based on the progress of the works, never more than 30 % at signing
The balance to strike: vigilance without paranoia
This phenomenon remains marginal. One must never generalise from individual cases or treat every tenant candidate or every craftsperson as a potential scammer. The vast majority of tenants are honest, the vast majority of tradespeople are serious.
But it is important to separate the wheat from the chaff, and to take the right precautions before signing a contract. A few minutes of systematic verification upstream avoid months (or even years) of legal proceedings downstream.
This phenomenon seems to be multiplying, particularly in France where it is the subject of dedicated television programmes. Belgium is not immune to this evolution. Preventive vigilance, not systematic mistrust, is the best protection.
This analysis synthesises the advice of Alfred Devreux, honorary lawyer, and best practices observed in the rental management sector.
For further reading, see also our article on fake pay slips and lease cancellation, an emblematic case in case law.
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