Profession

Estate agents in Belgium: IPI title, role, commission

Estate agent is a protected title in Belgium: IPI approval, a free but tax-inclusive commission, 6-month exclusivity cap. How to check an agent.

Checked on against the sources at the bottom of the page.

In short

In Belgium, “estate agent” (agent immobilier) is a protected title: to practise as an independent, a person must be approved by the Institut professionnel des agents immobiliers (IPI, in Dutch BIV). The approval is personal, although the IPI also approves companies. The commission is not regulated by any scale: each agency sets its own, and it must be displayed including VAT. An exclusive mandate lasts 6 months at most. In Brussels as elsewhere in Belgium, you check the title yourself in the IPI database, which is in French and Dutch only.

What the estate agent does

The estate agent brings together sellers and buyers, or landlords and tenants. Depending on the column in which he or she is approved, the agent may use the title estate agent-intermediary (the broker), estate agent-syndic (property manager of co-owned buildings) or estate agent-régisseur (letting manager).

For a sale, the agent prepares the advertisement, organises viewings, helps set the asking price and supports the negotiation. The agent does not replace the notary: the sale deed is still signed before a notary (see the notary’s role and fees). For a first purchase, the overall sequence is in buying a home in Belgium.

The title and where to check it

What the rule says. The IPI heads its page “no title of estate agent without IPI approval”. To work as an independent estate agent, whether as a main or a secondary activity, an approval is required, and it is “strictly personal”: taking an approved agent into one’s company is not enough for a person without approval. The managers, directors and partners of a company are treated as independent and need their own approval. Employees working under an approved agent’s supervision need not be registered, but without registration they may not call themselves “estate agent”. Since 1 September 2013 the IPI also approves legal persons, but this approval “will never replace a personal approval”.

Who publishes what. The IPI runs the search tool it presents as “the only official database of estate agents”. It can be searched by IPI number, agent name or agency name, by postcode or municipality, with a filter for broker or syndic. Its privacy policy states that the purpose of this function is “verification by the public of IPI approval”.

Where to check. Use the IPI search page: ipi.be/agent-immobilier. Check one professional at a time, with the number given to you. The pages read do not say whether an approved company receives its own number: ask in writing for the number of the person handling your file and, if a company is involved, for its approval as a legal person.

Terms of use of the register. The IPI site has no terms-of-use page that we could find. The only wording on the site is its footer, ”© 2026 IPI - Tous droits réservés” (“all rights reserved”). Nothing in it authorises copying the database, so Payotte does not copy it: the listing only sends you to the search page.

What the agent must display. According to the IPI, under article XII.6 §1 of the Code of Economic Law and the code of ethics, an agent’s website must show the name and address of the office, contact details, the enterprise number, the professional liability insurer and policy number, the IPI’s own details as supervisory authority, the professional title followed by the IPI number, and the country that granted the approval.

What it costs

The commission is not fixed by law. The IPI “does not advise estate agents on a tariff scale, does not set one and does not impose one”, and says that imposing tariffs would breach competition law. Each agency decides, and you can negotiate.

The price must be shown as the total payable by the consumer, VAT included. The IPI gives an example: a commission of 4% excluding VAT must be displayed as 4.84%. According to the IPI’s summary of the royal decree of 28 September 2023, a contract with a consumer must also state the overall tariff, and it provides for:

  • an exclusivity of 6 months at most;
  • a withdrawal period of 14 calendar days;
  • an early-termination indemnity limited to 50% of the commission during the first 3 months and 25% afterwards, if the property is not sold or let within 6 months of termination.

Always ask for a written proposal and compare several agencies. For the whole purchase budget, use the purchase cost calculator.

How Payotte chooses the firm

Payotte selects one agency per municipality, on a published scoring grid based only on public data:

  • only companies are selected, never an individual: no agent is named;
  • the listing carries a neutral company name, not a first name or surname;
  • the title is displayed by the firm on its own website; the listing reads “declared title, checkable with the IPI” and sends you to the search page, without copying the register;
  • a company can have 3 listings at most, counted by enterprise number;
  • the selection is free for the firm and is never paid for. Payotte does not guarantee any firm’s approval: you check it with the IPI.

Questions to ask

  • What is the IPI number of the person who will handle my file? Is the agency also approved as a company?
  • Is the commission stated including VAT, and what does it cover (photos, advertising, viewings, negotiation)?
  • Is the mandate exclusive? For how long, and with what renewal?
  • What happens if I terminate early, and what indemnity applies?
  • On what basis is the asking price proposed, and can you justify it in writing?
  • What is the 14-day withdrawal period, and how do I use it?

Frequently asked questions

Can anyone call themselves an estate agent?

No. The title is protected: an IPI approval is required.

Is an approved agency enough?

No. The IPI states that a company’s approval never replaces the personal approval. Check the person handling your file.

Is the commission regulated?

No, it is free and negotiable. It only has to be presented to you including VAT.

How long can an exclusive mandate last?

6 months at most, according to the IPI’s summary of the royal decree of 28 September 2023.

Can I withdraw after signing?

Yes, for 14 calendar days according to the same summary. Read the clause in your contract.

What if the “agent” turns out not to be approved?

The IPI writes that a contract between a false estate agent and a consumer is void and that such a person is not entitled to any fee.

Sources