The EPC and rent indexation in Wallonia
Since 1 November 2023, Walloon rents can be indexed again — but not all in the same way. Leases rated EPC D to G that had an anniversary during the capping window (November 2022 → October 2023) follow a permanent special calculation method. This page documents the historical window and the current rules.
The EPC capping window (2022-2023)
The Walloon decree of 19 October 2022 (amending art. 26 of the decree of 15 March 2018 on residential leases) introduced a cap on indexation based on the property's EPC, in the context of post-Covid inflation. The announced objective: protect tenants of energy-wasting properties from disproportionate indexation and incentivise landlords to renovate.
The mechanism applied to all indexations between 1 November 2022 and 31 October 2023, regardless of the lease's signature date.
Applicable coefficients (historical)
D-G 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%.
These coefficients no longer apply as such for indexations after 31 October 2023 — but their effect remains anchored for EPC D to G leases, through the special method described below.
Since 1 November 2023: the permanent special calculation method
Contrary to a widespread idea, the Walloon mechanism was not simply abolished. The decree of 19 October 2022 remains in force and imposes, for leases whose property is rated EPC D, E, F or G 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 cap is anchored permanently. The legal rent of these leases remains durably lower (in the order of 5 to 10 %) than what the naively applied federal formula would give. It is a rebasing of the calculation, different from the multiplying factor used in Brussels and Flanders.
Practical implications in 2026
For a Walloon lease in 2026:
- EPC A, B or C: federal standard formula — Indexed rent = Base rent × (New index ÷ Base index)
- EPC D to G with an anniversary in the 2022-2023 window: special method — calculation rebased on the adapted (capped) rent, with the health index of the month preceding that anniversary as starting index
- Leases with no anniversary in the window (signed after October 2023): federal standard formula, regardless of the EPC
- Other conditions remain: registered lease, written request, anniversary date
Our Wallonia calculator automatically applies the historical coefficient for indexations in the 2022-2023 window and the special method for subsequent indexations of EPC D to G leases.
Comparison with the other regions
- In Brussels: mechanism still active for leases signed before 14 October 2022
- In Flanders: permanent corrective factor since the decree of 4 July 2023, stricter than the Walloon mechanism
Frequently asked questions — EPC Wallonia
Does the EPC apply to my Walloon lease in 2026? + −
Yes, for one category of leases. If the property is rated EPC D, E, F or G and the lease had an anniversary between 1 November 2022 and 31 October 2023, indexation follows a permanent special calculation method: the calculation is rebased on the adapted (capped) rent of that period. Classes A to C and more recent leases follow the federal standard formula.
Can I retroactively check a 2022-2023 indexation? + −
Yes — our Wallonia calculator automatically applies the historical EPC coefficient if you request an indexation between 1 November 2022 and 31 October 2023, as well as the special method for subsequent indexations of EPC D to G leases.
My lease was renewed in 2024: does the EPC apply? + −
No. A lease renewed or signed from November 2023 onwards had no anniversary during the capping window: federal standard calculation, regardless of the EPC.
Was the Walloon mechanism abolished at the end of 2023? + −
No — that is a widespread but inaccurate idea. The capping window ended on 31 October 2023, but the decree of 19 October 2022 remains in force: since then it imposes a special calculation method (rebasing on the adapted rent) for the EPC D to G leases concerned, unlike Brussels and Flanders which apply a multiplying factor.