The EPC certificate is no longer a piece of paperwork: it has become a legal constraint. In Brussels, since 1 January 2026 a home must reach at least label E to be let. In Flanders, the buyer of a property rated E or F must bring it to label D — the deadline extended from 5 to 6 years since January 2026, on pain of a €500 to €5,000 fine. In Wallonia, the same logic is announced from 2028. The certificate is valid for 10 years everywhere.
What an EPC says — and does not say
The energy performance certificate assigns a home a letter, from A (excellent) to G (very poor), based on a standardised theoretical calculation: surfaces, insulation of the envelope, glazing type, heating system, hot water production, ventilation.
An important and often misunderstood point: the certificate does not measure your actual consumption. Two households in the same home rated D will have very different bills depending on how they live. The EPC describes the building, not its occupants — which is precisely what makes it possible to compare two properties.
Another nuance: each region applies its own calculation method and its own scale. A Brussels, Flemish and Walloon label D do not cover exactly the same performance. Certificates are therefore not transferable from one region to another.
Obligations: from formality to constraint
In all three regions the certificate is mandatory for sale and letting, must be available before the listing is published, and the energy class must appear in the listing itself. It remains valid for 10 years.
The real change over 2023-2030 is that the label no longer merely informs: it permits or forbids.
Brussels: no letting below label E
Since 1 January 2026, a Brussels home must hold an EPC of at least label E to be put on the rental market. Properties rated F and G can no longer be let, subject to the temporary derogations provided for certain situations.
The calendar does not stop there: label D in 2030, C in 2035, B in 2045 and A in 2050. For a Brussels landlord this is no longer a question of energy payback but of the right to operate the property at all.
⚠️ The Brussels paradox. It is the region imposing the strictest calendar on landlords — and also the one that suspended its Renolution grants on 1 January 2025, with no replacement decided to date. The obligation advances, the direct financial support has gone. What remains: 6% VAT, municipal grants and the ECORENO credit.
Flanders: the renovation obligation after purchase
Flanders chose to place the obligation on the buyer, not the landlord. Since 1 January 2023, anyone acquiring a residential building rated E or F must bring it to at least label D.
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Who | Any new owner since 1 January 2023 of a property rated E or F |
| Target | Reach at least label D |
| Deadline | 6 years from the notarial deed — extended from 5 to 6 years since January 2026, including for existing obligations |
| Deeds covered | Sale, gift, but also the creation of a building right or usufruct |
| Proof | A new EPC registered in the Flemish EPC database |
| Penalty | Administrative fine of €500 to €5,000 — and the obligation remains until the property complies |
The January 2026 easing — six years instead of five — is good news for recent buyers, all the more so since it also applies to obligations already running. But the fine does not replace the obligation: paying releases you from nothing, the property still has to be brought into compliance.
Wallonia: the 2028 deadline
Wallonia is announcing comparable logic: from 2028, every buyer will have 5 years to bring the property to EPC label D. The final terms remain to be confirmed, but the direction is clear and converges with the other two regions.
How to raise your label in practice
Going from F to D, or E to D, almost never requires a full renovation. The EPC calculation is sensitive to a few heavy items, and that is where the budget should go.
- Roof insulation — the best gain-to-cost item, and the one still enjoying the most complete support. See our dedicated article on roof insulation.
- Replacing the heating system — moving off an old boiler shifts the label significantly. The heat pump is the strongest move, and the only one still supported everywhere.
- Glazing — replacing single glazing has a clear effect; moving from recent double to triple glazing, far less.
- Wall and floor insulation — effective but more expensive and more disruptive.
The right reflex remains to have an energy audit drawn up before committing to works: it quantifies the expected label jump item by item, which a certificate does not.
The label now weighs on the value of the property
This is no longer an estate agent's hunch: in a market where letting an F becomes illegal in Brussels and buying an E or F triggers a works obligation in Flanders, the certificate's letter enters the negotiation directly.
For a buyer, a poor label is not a deal-breaker — it is a future cost to be priced in. For a seller, doing the works before listing can be justified; failing that, it is better to anticipate the discount than to discover it mid-negotiation.
Verdict
Brussels landlord: this is the most urgent case. An F or G rated property can no longer be let since January 2026, and the next deadline (label D) falls in 2030. With no regional grant, financing runs through 6% VAT, municipal grants and credit.
Flemish buyer: check the label before signing. Buying an E or an F means buying with six years of compulsory works ahead — a legitimate point of negotiation on the price.
Walloon owner: 2028 looks distant, but the Primes Habitation scheme itself closes on 30 September 2026. The rational order is therefore to do the works while the current support exists, not to wait for the obligation.