Guides that explain your rights step by step
From the accident report to a refusal letter, from deadlines to an Ombudsman complaint: common situations explained in plain language, based on Belgian legislation and case law. The guides give general information and do not replace legal advice on your case.
Traffic and vehicles
The accident report (constat): what to know before you sign
What the European accident statement proves and what it doesn't: the boxes, the sketch, RDR, foreign plates and the 8-day notice.
Traffic fines and accidents: think before you pay
Immediate collection, prosecutor's settlement, payment order, court: amounts, deadlines, and why paying a settlement after an accident presumes your fault.
Pedestrians, cyclists and e-bikes: your rights after an accident
When a motor vehicle is involved, bodily injury of pedestrians, cyclists and passengers is paid regardless of fault (29bis). The guide also covers the at-fault cyclist's own losses, damage to the car, family liability insurance and the legal status of e-bikes.
Hit-and-run or uninsured vehicle: who pays for your loss?
When does the Belgian Common Guarantee Fund pay for damage caused by an unidentified or uninsured vehicle? This guide explains when property damage is covered, the role of comprehensive (omnium) cover, how to apply and the deadlines.
Total loss, car theft and pay-per-km premiums: when you disagree with your insurer
Your car was written off at too low a value, it was stolen while the spare key was inside, or your pay-per-km policy produced an unexpected extra premium: which rules apply and what can you challenge?
When your insurer wants its money back: recourse, suspension and termination
A drink-driving accident, a car lent to a friend, a missed instalment or a termination letter sent to your old address: when does the motor insurer pay the victim, and when and how much can it recover from you?
Home, family and belongings
Fire, water, burglary and storm damage at home: which insurance pays?
A fire in a rented home, water from the flat upstairs, a burglary refused over security conditions, storm and flood damage, a pipe drilled through during renovation, and an old leak found in a newly bought home: who is liable in Belgium, which policy pays and how to challenge a refusal.
Family liability insurance: damage caused by a child, dog bites, borrowed items
Your child broke something, your dog bit someone or you damaged a borrowed item: who is liable, what family liability insurance (RC familiale) pays and which refusals are justified.
Phones, pets, bikes and house moves: refusals in personal-property insurance and how to challenge them
The SIM card condition in phone insurance, pre-existing conditions in pet insurance, lock requirements for e-bikes and a removal firm's liability cap: when a Belgian insurer may refuse to pay, which documents you need and how to challenge the decision.
Injury, health and life
Injury, bodily harm and work accidents: heads of damage, the 2024 Indicative Table and the work accident scheme
Injured on the road, at work or on the way to work? The difference between ordinary-law compensation and flat-rate work accident benefits, commuting accidents, challenging a permanent incapacity rate, 2024 Indicative Table amounts and health insurance fund benefits.
Hospital and income protection insurance: refusals, premium rises and medical disputes
Pre-existing conditions, a premium rise after moving to Brussels, burn-out and long Covid incapacity, 'experimental' treatment refusals: the rules, deadlines and how to challenge them.
Credit and life insurance: surcharges, early repayment, refusals after death and group insurance
Challenging a health surcharge on mortgage protection insurance, premiums taken after the loan was repaid, 'incomplete health declaration' refusals after death, and group insurance death cover that ended when the employee left.
Refusals, deadlines and remedies
Deadlines and limitation periods: how long you have to act
From reporting an accident to going to court, from the Ombudsman to traffic fines: the key Belgian deadlines for insurance and traffic disputes in one table.
Your insurer refuses, delays or underpays: refusals, loss adjuster reports, deadlines and the Ombudsman
Learn how to read a refusal letter and how to request the loss adjuster's report and late-payment interest; get clear information on the 3-month reply deadline and the €300 lump sum, the Ombudsman and the deadline to sue.
Legal expenses insurance: choice of lawyer, fees and grounds for refusal
What legal expenses insurance pays, who chooses the lawyer, how fee caps and the objectivity clause work, and how to challenge refusals such as "go through our legal department first", "the cap has been exceeded", the driving licence review procedure and the "brawl" exclusion.
Intermediaries, chatbots and Datassur records: termination, wrong information and the insurance blacklist
Your intermediary did not cancel your old policy and you paid twice, the insurer's chatbot gave you wrong information, or a Datassur record stops you getting insurance: your rights, your evidence and where to turn.