Commercial Space for Rent: What You Need to Know

Business Real Estate: Why Rent a Commercial Space?

Whether it’s to launch or develop a commercial activity, renting commercial premises offers many advantages:

Renting a Commercial Space: A More Cost-Effective Solution Than Buying in the Short Term

Renting offers the undeniable advantage of being able to launch or develop your business without having to bear the heavy financial investment represented by the acquisition of commercial property. It therefore proves to be the most advantageous in case of limited resources, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises which represent the vast majority of Belgian companies.

Moreover, renting also allows you to reduce risks and assess the profitability of your activity before considering the purchase of commercial premises.

The Possibility of Quickly Enjoying Your Premises

Unlike a purchase which can take several months between the search and the signing of the sales contract, the handover of keys in the case of a rental contract can be done in a few days.

Appreciable Flexibility

Renting allows you to choose the appropriate location for the development of your activity. For example, it is easier to find a commercial space for rent in Brussels or a commercial space for rent in Charleroi than to buy a property. Moreover, in case of evolution of your activity, you can leave the premises in favor of a new one that is larger or better located.

Deductible Expenses

Another advantage of renting commercial premises, and not the least, is the fiscal aspect of the rental. Indeed, whether it’s a commercial space for rent in Ixelles or a commercial space for rent in Walloon Brabant, rents are always considered as operating expenses. They are therefore deductible from the taxable result of your company and contribute to reducing the tax owed to the tax administration. Moreover, in some cases, it is possible to consider the rental of commercial real estate as an interesting option within the framework of a tax optimization strategy.

Commercial Space for Rent: What Type of Lease?

The rental of a property allocated to a commercial or artisanal activity must necessarily give rise to the drafting of a commercial lease. Professional assistance can therefore be useful at this stage. Generally, the commercial lease must specify the rental conditions including:

• The duration of the contract;
• The amount of the rent;
• The nature of activities that can be carried out within the rented commercial space, etc.

The duration of a commercial property rental contract is imposed on the landlord by law and must be greater than 9 years. It can be divided into 3 three-year periods of 3 years (3-6-9), the first of which begins to run from the date of effective entry of the tenant into the premises. At the end of each period, the tenant can terminate the contract and leave the premises.

In some cases, such as pop-up stores for example, it is possible to sign a short-term commercial lease (less than one year). Moreover, even if the minimum duration of commercial leases in Belgium is set by law, both parties can proceed with early termination.

Good to Know:

In the context of a commercial lease, the rental deposit is not mandatory. It is contractual and can therefore be freely negotiated between the two parties. Moreover, the law does not set any rental deposit amount for the rental of commercial properties. If applicable, the tenant can pay the rental deposit into the landlord’s bank account or into a blocked account (bank guarantee) according to the terms agreed between the two parties. At the end of the rental contract, the landlord is required to return to the tenant the total amount of the rental deposit if no damage has been found in the premises.