Rental guarantee

Don't want to set up your rental guarantee online? No problem. You can open a specific account for this purpose with BNP Paribas Fortis.

The capital, consisting of two or three months' rent depending on the region and type of lease, is blocked on this account for the duration of your lease. The interest generated by the capital can also be blocked. When will it be unblocked? When you terminate your lease and vacate the rented property. How do you unblock this account? With your agreement and that of the landlord, or by court order.

The account used for your rental guarantee is the Savings Account (Category B) of BNP Paribas Fortis (regulated savings account with conditions of amount), opened in your name and blocked for the duration of your lease. The balance of the Savings Account is capped at 250,000 euros.

What are its main advantages?

• free of charge: no management fees or commission
• interest-bearing: you receive a basic interest rate and a loyalty premium, subject to certain conditions
• favourable tax regime: the current tax legislation in Belgium, subject to future changes, exempts individuals from withholding tax on a certain amount of interest

The interest rate of the Savings Account consists of a basic rate and a loyalty premium. Currently, the basic rate is set at 0.50% and the loyalty premium at 0.25% (gross annual percentages). These percentages can vary depending on market conditions. We will inform you of any changes in the first account statement following the change in question.

Base Rate
The base rate is the rate you receive for every amount you deposit into your Savings Account. Your money earns interest every day it is on your account, at the latest from the next calendar day after the deposit. You receive your base rate on 1 January of each year, or at the closure of your account.

Loyalty Premium
You receive a loyalty premium on every deposit that remains on your Savings Account for an uninterrupted period of 12 consecutive months. If you withdraw money before the end of this period, you will not be entitled to the loyalty premium for the withdrawn amount. The loyalty premiums paid also generate interest. The loyalty premium is paid on the first day following the end of the quarter in which it was acquired (1 January, 1 April, 1 July, and 1 October), or at the closure of the account.

The loyalty premium may fluctuate, but is guaranteed for the entire acquisition period. What does this mean? You deposit 100 euros into your Savings Account on 30 March 2024, 12 months later, on 1 April 2025, you will receive the loyalty premium in force on 30 March 2024, whether the loyalty premium has been modified in the meantime or not.

Opening, closing, and managing your Savings Account are free*, except for any potential postal fees. A Savings Account is opened for an indefinite period.

As an individual, you do not pay any tax on the interest from your savings accounts, up to a maximum of 1,020 euros in interest per person and per year (as of 2024). This amount is doubled for savings accounts opened in the name of married/cohabiting couples (2,040 euros in 2024). For each interest payment exceeding this 1,020 euro ceiling, a 15% tax is automatically withheld.

• Risk of bankruptcy

The funds deposited on a rental guarantee with BNP Paribas Fortis fall under the deposit protection mechanism up to a maximum of 100,000 euros per person. In the event of bankruptcy or risk of bankruptcy of the bank, the saver bears the risk of seeing the amount of their savings exceeding 100,000 euros converted into shares ("bail-in") or partially or totally losing this amount. You can find more information about this in the deposit protection information sheet.

• Risk of inflation

A continuous rise in prices could cause the deposited money to lose value.

Make an appointment at your agency or post office. An advisor will open your Savings Account so you can deposit your rental guarantee. And why not take the opportunity to discuss the best way to protect your new home?

Don't feel like going out? Just contact our Easy Banking Centre at 02 762 90 00.

The savings account for setting up a rental guarantee is a regulated savings account under Belgian law, marketed by BNP Paribas Fortis. According to the new classification defined by the federal government and the banking sector, it falls under Category B since it is subject to amount conditions (balance capped at 250,000 euros). You can find more general information about regulated savings accounts via the link www.bnpparibasfortis.be/info-epargne.

Complaints

You can address any complaint about our products or services by mail to BNP Paribas SA – Complaint Management Service – Montagne du Parc 3, 1000 Brussels or by email to gestiondesplaintes@bnpparibasfortis.com 

If the proposed solution does not satisfy you, you can address your complaint by mail to Ombudsfin – Financial Services Mediation Service – North Gate II, Boulevard du Roi Albert II 8/2, 1000 Brussels or by email to ombudsman@ombudsfin.be.

Read the key information document for savers before opening your Savings Account to set up your rental guarantee.

• Key information for savers
• Deposit protection information sheet
• Tariff list
• Regulated Savings Account for setting up a Rental Guarantee – Pre-contractual information
• Savings Account – Special conditions