Breyne Law summary: all to know in 2 minutes flat

For those who do not have 30 minutes — the Breyne Law summary in 4 paragraphs.

1. What it is for

Protect the buyer of a new home to be built or under construction in Belgium. Adopted on 9 July 1971 after the scandals of bankrupt developers. Of public order: no clause can derogate from it.

2. The 3 key protections

• 5% security deposit (detailed cluster) — blocked at the notary to lift post-reception reservations.
• Completion guarantee (Article 12) — bank or insurer finishes the site in case of bankruptcy.
• Two-step reception (Article 9) — provisional then final one year later.

3. Developer obligations

• Mandatory clauses (Article 7).
• Down payments limited to progress.
• Costed deadlines and penalties.
• Annexed plans and specifications.

4. The sanction

Omission of a mandatory clause or certificate = contract nullity, invocable by the buyer without time limit. See sanctions and case law.

Our Breyne Law advisory covers the whole chain — from compromise to final reception.