Good news: it will no longer be possible to refuse a tenant because of their pet in Brussels. In future, landlords will need “reasonable grounds for refusal”, thanks to a draft ordinance amending the Brussels Housing Code.

This point enshrines the right for tenants to have a pet, and thereby recognizes that our pets are fully-fledged members of our households! Indeed, at the end of March 2024, the Brussels Parliament adopted a series of measures submitted by the government reinforcing tenants’ rights. These include the end of lease contracts prohibiting the presence of pets.

Here’s what the law says: Article 15An article 218/1 is inserted in the same code, worded as follows: “Art.218/1.§ 1. Any stipulation in the lease contract or its appendices prohibiting outright the keeping of a pet on the leased premises is deemed unwritten.§ 2. The lease contract may:1. Make the keeping of pets conditional on the absence of nuisance, and in particular of any aggressiveness;2. Limit the number of animals or species that may be kept on reasonable grounds.

Prospective tenants with pets can no longer be turned away because of the presence of their pet.

This measure is good news for shelters! Every year, a large number of animals are abandoned for the simple reason that their owners are forced to do so because it is not possible for them to have an animal in their home!