Is a smoke detector mandatory at home, and who fits it?

What is not allowed, what is required?

• Flanders: every home must meet fire safety requirements (Vlaamse Codex Wonen, art. 3.1). This also applies to a home where the owner lives.
• Flanders: every home has at least one smoke detector (rookmelder) on each floor. An attic or cellar with technical installations, or with direct access, also counts as a floor (implementing decree, art. 3.2).
• Flanders: in rented rooms (kamers), every room has a detector. Shared spaces with technical installations need one too. The detector must meet the NBN EN 14604 standard.
• In a rented home in Flanders, the landlord usually buys and fits the detector. With a model that has a replaceable battery, the tenant usually changes the battery. Check the details on vlaanderen.be.
• Wallonia: every home has at least one fire detector in full working order (Code wallon de l'habitation durable, art. 4bis). The owner pays for buying, fitting and replacing it.
• Wallonia: every floor with a living room (pièce d'habitation) has at least one detector. If a room on that floor is larger than 80 m², two are needed. The detector must be optical and certified.
• Wallonia: the detector is fitted according to the manufacturer's instructions. The hall or landing leading to the bedrooms comes first, then the entrance hall. The occupant maintains it and reports a fault to the owner straight away.
• Brussels: the new rule has applied since 1 January 2025. There must be a detector in the first room after the main entrance and in every room on the internal route through the home. The kitchen and bathroom are exempt.
• Brussels: on each floor that is not on that route, a detector goes on the landing or in the first room of that floor. If four or more detectors are needed, they must be interconnected.
• Brussels: landlords who had already fitted detectors under the 2004 rule have until 1 January 2028 to interconnect them.
• Brussels: ionisation detectors are not allowed. The detector has a built-in 10-year battery or a 220 V connection with a backup battery. The landlord pays for buying, fitting and replacing it when the battery runs out.
• Brussels: the landlord may check the detector once a year. If the battery runs out early or the detector is faulty, the tenant informs the landlord in writing.
• A carbon monoxide (CO) detector is not mandatory in Wallonia. In the other regions it is generally not mandatory either. If you have a gas or wood heater, a CO detector is still a good idea.

Penalty and indirect consequences

Why does this rule exist?

When you are asleep, you do not smell smoke. Smoke poisons you before the flames reach you. A detector sounds early and gives you precious minutes to get out.