Renovation paperwork in Flanders: what to keep and why

01Phase 1: Preparation

Permit and regulation

Environmental permit. Not every renovation requires a permit. From 1 March 2026, the rules in Flanders become considerably simpler: all interior renovations are exempt, façade and roof works are exempt as long as the physical building volume doesn't change, and the notification obligation largely disappears [2].

You still need a permit when you extend the building volume: an additional floor, an annex, an expansion of the living area [2].

Keep your permit application, the decision and all attachments permanently. On sale or on a future renovation they are indispensable.

Notification obligation. Until March 2026, certain works require a notification rather than a permit. From March 2026 this largely disappears. Only for care dwellings does the notification remain [2].

Contractor selection documents

Quotes. Keep all quotes you receive, not just the accepted one. In a dispute over additional work or price changes, it's useful to show what the market price was at the moment of your decision.

Contractor agreements. The signed contract per contractor or per lot. Keep for at least ten years (for ten-year liability).

Contractor vetting. The results of your due diligence: KBO check, VAT validation, insurance certificates (liability and ten-year liability insurance). That ten-year liability insurance has been mandatory since 1 July 2018 for structural work [8].

Financial documents

Construction loan agreement. Your loan agreement with the drawdown schedule: which tranches, under what conditions, with which supporting documents.

Starting budget. Your estimate per main category, based on your accepted quotes. This is your starting point for budget tracking.

Grant scan. Which Flemish grants are you eligible for? The Mijn VerbouwPremie is the main one, but the conditions change regularly. Since 1 March 2026, income categories 1 and 2 (the two highest) only receive a grant for heat pumps. Categories 3 and 4 keep all grants [6].

Check the conditions before you start, not afterwards.

EPC certificate (pre-renovation). Your energy label before the works start. For homes with label E or F, the renovation obligation applies: within six years of purchase you have to reach at least label D [1]. You need the pre-renovation EPC as a starting point.

Planning and notification

Site planning. A macro timeline with the sequence of lots and the expected duration per phase.

Declaration of works. For sites from 25,000 euro excluding VAT, or where subcontractors are involved, a declaration of works must be filed with the NSSO [3]. For works below that amount without subcontractors, the obligation doesn't apply.

02Phase 2: Execution

Financial documents

Invoices. Every invoice linked to the right contractor and budget line. Matched to the quote: is the contractor billing what was agreed?

Additional work documents. Written approval with pricing, before the work starts. This is your strongest protection in disputes over additional work.

Proofs of payment. Evidence of payment per invoice. Transfer confirmations, not just the invoice itself.

Construction loan drawdowns. Every tranche drawdown with your bank, with the underlying invoices and any architect's certificate confirming the works.

Statements of progress. On larger projects, the contractor periodically sends a statement of progress: an overview of the work done and the corresponding amount. The architect signs off for payment.

Quality and conformity documents

Site reports. Notes from site meetings and inspections. After every site visit with your architect: what was discussed, the state of play, the next steps. Signed by all present.

Photos. Systematic progress photos, preferably with date and location (modern smartphones do this automatically). In a dispute about the state of the works at a specific moment, photo documentation is especially valuable.

Intermediate inspections. Depending on your project: foundation check, drainage check, concrete check. Keep every inspection report.

Changes to plans. Every deviation from the approved plans should be documented. If there was a permit, significant changes can require an amendment.

Communication

Correspondence with contractors. Emails, messages, WhatsApp threads with decisions or commitments. In a dispute, your communication trail is your evidence.

Confirm every verbal agreement in writing afterwards. "As discussed on site today: the tiles are delivered on 14 March and installed by 21 March." One sentence, five seconds.

Correspondence with the architect. Site reports and design decisions in particular.

03Phase 3: Handover

Inspections and certificates

This is the phase where most documents come together. And where most homeowners miss documents.

Provisional handover. An official report (PV) with the list of snag items (defects still to be fixed). Signed by you, the contractor, and your architect.

Final handover. Typically one year after the provisional handover, after all snag items have been resolved. A new PV confirming everything is in order.

Electrical inspection (AREI). Mandatory for every change, reinforcement or extension of the electrical installation [5]. Valid for 25 years. Average cost: 130 to 180 euro for a standard installation.

Gas inspection. Mandatory if a gas installation was placed or changed.

Sewer inspection. Municipality-dependent. Check with your municipality whether it's mandatory.

EPB reporting. If you needed an environmental permit for your renovation, you have to file an EPB declaration. Deadline: no later than five years after the permit date [7]. VEKA enforces this and imposes a fine for non-compliance [7].

Ventilation report. If a ventilation system was installed.

Asbestos certificate. Mandatory on sale for buildings from before 2001. Not required for renovation, but useful if you removed asbestos-containing materials.

Warranty and insurance documents

Warranty certificates. Per contractor and per material or appliance. Keep them for the duration of the warranty, which can vary from two to thirty years depending on the product.

Ten-year liability insurance. The insurer's certificate. Keep at least ten years after handover [8].

Maintenance logs. For technical installations: boiler, heat pump, ventilation. Including maintenance schedule and proof of maintenance carried out.

As-built drawings. The final plans showing what was actually built, not what was originally designed. On a future renovation or on sale, these are indispensable.

Financial closing

Final settlement per contractor. The final invoice reconciliation, compared to the quote and approved additional work. Does the total add up?

Grant applications. File your grant applications within the required deadlines. Those deadlines vary per grant. Only final invoices are accepted, not quotes or advance invoices [6].

VAT certification. For the reduced 6% rate, the contractor has to include the required statement on the invoice.

04Renovation obligation: the administrative requirements

The renovation obligation deserves its own section, because it has specific documentation requirements.

What it entails

Anyone who has bought a home in Flanders since 1 January 2023 with EPC label E or F must renovate that home to at least label D within six years of the notarial deed [1]. The term was originally five years, but has been extended to six years since 1 January 2025 [1].

The documents you need

Calculating the deadline

Your deadline is six years from the date of the notarial deed [1]. Calculate it and put the date in your calendar. Not "somewhere next year", but the exact date.

What if you miss it?

VEKA imposes an administrative fine of 500 to 5,000 euro, depending on the surface area and the deviation from the label [1]. The fine doesn't cancel the obligation. VEKA attaches a new deadline to it [1].

05How long do you keep what?

Woningpas

The Woningpas (recently renamed Gebouwenpas) is the digital passport of your home, managed by the Flemish government [4]. You find the EPC, EPB data, permit history, flood risk and more there [4]. There's also a digital vault where you can upload documents yourself.

The Woningpas is a useful starting point, but it's a static archive. It shows what the government knows about your home. It doesn't actively manage your renovation paperwork: no deadlines, no budget tracking, no link between invoices and quotes.

So you need your own system either way.

06A note on Brussels and Wallonia

This guide focuses on Flanders. The federal rules (VAT, ten-year liability, declaration of works) apply to all of Belgium. But the regional rules differ significantly.

In Brussels, there's a separate permit system and, since 2024, a renovation obligation with its own targets. In Wallonia, other energy standards and grant systems apply. Separate guides for those regions will follow.