Leaving a rental house, and would like to know if I am losing any privileges upon moving out
<p>I would like to start with saying that nothing has been said on the part of my landlord yet.<br>
I am not in any kind of urgency with the issue, I am simply trying to get informed.</p>

<p>I've been living in a rental house for the last 5 years.<br>
And there has been a few cases of damages that were not repaired, for which the landlord took responsibility.</p>

<ol>
<li>The handrail has broken off, as part of the wall became brittle.<br>
The landlord was due to replace it, but 3 years later and several mails / phone-calls and visits later, has not done so.</li>
<li>A case of bad piping caused sewage to come out of the downstairs toilets, and flood the whole downstairs during a bad storm.<br>
The doors to the downstairs toilet have warped edges at the bottom.</li>
<li>Related to (2) the walls became damp, and mold and water marks appeared on the walls.</li>
</ol>

<p>A year will have  passed in January since the storm, and some of the street piping has been redone by the city (after some lengthy mail and phone conversations). However the bad piping in the house is still present, and during bad storms we can smell the sewage.  </p>

<p>I am due to leave the house in December, and the landlord has told me that they will not repair anything as of yet, and are looking for new tenants.  </p>

<p>Is there some hidden danger for me in relation to the damages and the search for new tenants?<br>
I know that you have more rights as an inhabitant of a house, that is legally domiciled there, however I'm unsure if these rights are in any way relevant here.</p>

<p>Possible relevant information:<br>
We live in Belgium.<br>
I plan to seek legal aid if the situation worsens, however I'd first like to know if I am making a mistake upon moving out without some written assurances of some sort.</p>

<p>I'm acually not familiar with the situation in Belgium (I live in Germany), but what kind of trouble do you expect? Your landlord charging you for the damages? Once you move out, you have no interest in how the damages are handled.</p>

<p>Your goal is ending the rental in a smooth way without losing energy or money in the process.</p>

<p>Sounds like you relationship to your landlord isn't the best one, and there's always a possibility of complications when moving out. You should obviously document the state of the house (take photos of every room, and of details related to the storm), and know you obligations and rights.</p>

<p>I have found it useful to be very kind and understanding to private landlords even when there are grave disputes - but this is just me. Even if you didn't cause any damage - The whole situation will be disappointing for your landlord too.</p>

rental-property belgium