Community Discussions
Explore the latest discussions and community conversations related to this domain.
I nearly got ripped off by my Immo, and fear others might be too. What can I do?
Main Post:
I recently moved appartments, and in the process was confronted with a situation with my renting agency (Immo) which bothers me to this day.
My renting agreement included paying a quite large sum of "vaste kosten", with the trade-off being that these monthly costs included an advance for gas and water, to be settled at the end of the year. However, they used an incorrect allocation formula in dividing the costs between me and the owner. Since 2019, the breakdown for a lot of these fixed costs has been defined in a decree, but this has apparently not found it's way down to my renting agency.
After confronting them with this, they admitted fault and corrected it for the most recent settlements, resulting in a €1000+ difference in paybacks to my advantage. This is for two years, I'm still waiting on correction for others.
The thing is: if this is a structural thing, they could possibly be unlawfully pocketing thousands of euro's on a yearly basis. Imo, renters in this situation are dependent on either quite extensive legal knowledge, research work or dumb luck to have their rights respected by this renting agency. Their sole value to renters is to offer security through correct procedure, but this is apparently too much to ask.
If this were a non-profit organization, I could somewhat live with it (good cause and all that), but the fact is that they profit of being a middle man that adds very little value (at least for renters), and that even then they can't even be bothered to follow the law. Also, I hold grudges.
The Robin Hood thing to do, would be to print the above story on leaflets, along with instructions for affected tenants on how to get their money back, and distribute these in appartment complexes that they manage.
However, I would like to know if anyone knows any watchdog organisations that focus on renting (be it governmental or non-profit, cfr. Huurdersbond) where I can highlight this problem. Any tips, reflections and/or discussion is appreciated.
TLDR: Immo has to be a reminded that there are laws governing breakdown of fixed costs between renter and owner, and I kind of want to make sure that it doesn't go unnoticed.
Top Comment: https://www.biv.be/klachten/klacht-indienen-tegen-een-erkend-vastgoedmakelaar You're welcome!
Immoweb: how do people view and decide on a purchase?
Main Post:
Hi
So I am selling my apartment in Brussels and posted it yesterday and it was viewed 500 times and was saved 15 times. I was not contacted by anyone. I did only put the option e-mail otherwise I will start getting text messages, whatsapp messages and especially calls from immo agencies. (tested and I am getting the e-mails).
Just wondering: why do people save it because isn ́t acting fast they key to finding a home? I also saw that was ok on immoweb a while ago but it was sold in a day or two so why wait? Trying to figure out the logic behind it all.
Top Comment: Why do people save without mailing/calling? Because they must talk to their partner, or have multiple houses/apartments in mind and are comparing first. Between watching, saving, mailing/calling for our house, we took a week everytime.