In Belgium, "estate agent" is not a title one simply adopts. It is a regulated profession: practising it for payment without being listed on the register of the Professional Institute of Estate Agents (IPI) is a criminal offence.
Checking takes less than a minute, and it is public.
How to check
Ask for the person's IPI number. A professional in good standing gives it spontaneously — it usually appears on their card, their email signature, and their commercial documents.
That number can be checked on the public register of accredited agents, maintained by the IPI and freely searchable on its website. You will find the name, the company they are attached to, and above all the nature of the registration.
If the person dodges the question, changes the subject, or refers to "the agency being accredited", press on. Accreditation is personal: the individual practising must be registered, not merely the company employing them.
Reading the entry: four terms to understand
The register does not merely say "accredited or not". It specifies two columns of activity and two levels.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Broker | Authorised for intermediation: sale, purchase, letting. This is the column that matters if you are selling. |
| Managing agent (syndic) | Authorised to manage co-ownerships. A distinct trade with distinct skills. |
| Full member | Practises in their own name, autonomously. |
| Trainee | In professional training, practising under the supervision of a full member. |
Two practical consequences:
- Someone registered only as a managing agent is not authorised to take your sale mandate. This is a frequent confusion, including in good faith.
- A trainee may work perfectly well, but their supervisor carries the liability. You are entitled to know who that is.
Some professionals are registered in both columns. That is common and unproblematic.
What accreditation guarantees you
Registration is not a mere label. It requires:
- professional indemnity insurance — this is what compensates you if there is a fault;
- a financial guarantee, covering funds the agent holds on behalf of third parties;
- compliance with a binding code of conduct, breaches of which are sanctioned by the IPI's disciplinary chambers;
- mandatory continuing education;
- a duty to inform about fees and about the nature of the mandate.
It also gives you recourse: in a dispute, the IPI has disciplinary jurisdiction. Against someone it has not registered, only the courts remain.
What you risk with an unaccredited intermediary
- A void mandate. An intermediation contract concluded by an unauthorised person may be annulled, with all the complications that creates if a sale is under way.
- No insurance. An error in a measurement, an undisclosed defect, a deposit poorly held: without professional insurance, redress depends on that person's solvency.
- No disciplinary recourse. The IPI cannot sanction someone it has not registered.
- Unprotected funds. The financial guarantee does not apply.
Borderline situations
The introducer who "knows a buyer". Bringing a seller and a buyer together for payment is an act of intermediation. It requires accreditation, whatever wording is used ("introducer", "consultant").
The notary. They may take part in property negotiation within their official function: they fall under their own regulation and code of conduct, not the IPI's.
The private seller. Selling your own property obviously requires no accreditation. It is intermediation for others and for payment that is regulated.
The foreign agent. A professional established in another member state may operate in Belgium but must complete formalities with the IPI. Ask for proof of their declaration.
In practice, before you sign
- Ask for the IPI number, in writing.
- Check it on the public register.
- Confirm that the broker column is the one ticked.
- Note whether they are a full member or a trainee — and in the latter case, who supervises.
- Ask for the professional indemnity insurance certificate: it is provided without difficulty.
A serious professional will make each of these steps easy. Reluctance, here, is the only signal you need.