The EPC and rent indexation in Wallonia
Since 1 November 2023, all Walloon rents can be indexed again — but not all in the same way. Leases rated EPC D to G or without a certificate that had an anniversary during the limitation period (1 November 2022 → 31 October 2023) follow a special calculation method. This page documents the 2022-2023 period and the current rules.
The EPC capping window (2022-2023)
The Walloon decree of 19 October 2022 (Belgian Official Gazette of 3 November 2022, in force on 1 November 2022), amending art. 26 of the decree of 15 March 2018 on residential leases, limited indexation based on the property's EPC, in the context of the high inflation of 2022.
The limitation covered leases whose effective-start anniversary fell between 1 November 2022 and 31 October 2023. During that period (and only then), the calculation applied to a share of the increase:
- EPC A, B, C: indexation at 100%
- EPC D: 75% of the increase
- EPC E: 50% of the increase
- EPC F, G or no certificate: no indexation
The rent obtained during that period is the adapted rent.
Applicable coefficients (historical)
D-G or no-certificate leases with an anniversary in the 11/2022-10/2023 window: indexation computed from the window's adapted rent (decree of 19/10/2022). Other leases: 100%.
The 2022-2023 percentages no longer apply to indexations after 31 October 2023 — but their effect remains for leases rated EPC D to G or without a certificate, through the special method described below ("adapted" in the table).
Since 1 November 2023: the permanent special calculation method
Contrary to a widespread idea, the Walloon mechanism was not repealed. The decree of 19 October 2022 remains in force and imposes, for leases that took effect before 1 November 2022, whose property is rated EPC D, E, F or G or has no certificate, and which had an anniversary between 1 November 2022 and 31 October 2023, a special calculation method:
- Base rent: "the rent adapted between 1 November 2022 and 31 October 2023" — that is, the capped rent of the window
- Starting index: "the health index of the month preceding that of the lease anniversary which occurred between 1 November 2022 and 31 October 2023"
Effect: the 2022-2023 limitation keeps weighing on the rent until the end of the tenancy. It is a new starting point for the calculation, different from the correction factor used in Brussels and Flanders. One exception: a favourable label obtained after renovation allows a return to full indexation (Constitutional Court, ruling no. 64/2024 of 20 June 2024, which also confirmed that the method covers dwellings without a certificate).
Official example from the Walloon administration (SPW) — rent of €600, lease signed in September 2019, effective 1 November 2019, EPC E:
- Starting index (August 2019, month preceding the signature): 109.07
- Indexation on 1 November 2021: 600 × 113.94 ÷ 109.07 = €626.79
- Full indexation on 1 November 2022: 600 × 127.92 ÷ 109.07 = €703.69
- Adapted rent (EPC E: 50% of the increase): 626.79 + 50% × (703.69 − 626.79) = €665.24
- Indexation on 1 November 2023: 665.24 × 128.30 ÷ 127.92 = €667.22 (the ordinary formula would have given €705.79)
- Indexation on 1 November 2025: 665.24 × 135.76 ÷ 127.92 = €706.01 (ordinary formula: €746.82)
Practical implications in 2026
For a Walloon lease in 2026:
- EPC A, B or C: ordinary formula — Indexed rent = Base rent × (New index ÷ Starting index)
- EPC D to G or no certificate, with an anniversary in the 2022-2023 period: special method — calculation from the adapted rent, with the health index of the month preceding that anniversary as starting index
- Leases with no anniversary in that period (effective on or after 1 November 2022): ordinary formula at 100%, regardless of the EPC
- Other conditions remain: written, registered lease, written request, anniversary date, 3 months of retroactivity. The EPC certificate is not a general condition for indexing in Wallonia
Our Wallonia calculator automatically applies the percentages in force at the time for indexations in the 2022-2023 period and the special method for subsequent indexations of the leases concerned. Enter both the signature date (starting index) and the effective start date (anniversaries).
Comparison with the other regions
- In Brussels: correction factor applied to the indexed rent, for leases that took effect before 14 October 2022 with an EPB E, F or G (ordinances of 13 October 2022 and 13 October 2023)
- In Flanders: correction factor for contracts that took effect before 1 October 2022 with an EPC D, E, F or no EPC (decree of 3 October 2022)
Frequently asked questions — EPC Wallonia
Does the EPC apply to my Walloon lease in 2026? + −
Yes, for one category of leases. If the lease took effect before 1 November 2022, the property is rated EPC D, E, F or G or has no certificate, and the lease had an anniversary between 1 November 2022 and 31 October 2023, indexation follows a special calculation method, until the end of the tenancy: the calculation starts from the adapted rent of that period. Classes A to C and more recent leases follow the ordinary formula, at 100%.
Can I retroactively check a 2022-2023 indexation? + −
Yes — our Wallonia calculator automatically applies the percentages in force at the time (D: 75%, E: 50%, F, G and no certificate: no indexation) if you request an indexation between 1 November 2022 and 31 October 2023, as well as the special method for subsequent indexations of the leases concerned.
My lease was renewed in 2024: does the EPC apply? + −
If it is a new lease that took effect on or after 1 November 2022, no: it had no anniversary during the limitation period and is indexed with the ordinary formula, at 100%, regardless of the EPC. If the original lease simply continues, the special method applies 'until the end of the tenancy': if in doubt, refer to the official SPW page (wallonie.be, 'Indexer un loyer').
Was the Walloon mechanism abolished at the end of 2023? + −
No — that is a widespread but inaccurate idea. The limitation period ended on 31 October 2023, but the decree of 19 October 2022 has not been repealed: since then it imposes a special calculation method (calculation from the adapted rent) for the leases concerned, rated EPC D to G or without a certificate, whereas Brussels and Flanders apply a correction factor. A favourable label obtained after renovation allows a return to full indexation (Constitutional Court, ruling no. 64/2024 of 20 June 2024).