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Disrupted services on Monday 26 January

Due to national trade union actions, the services at the various counters of the Brucity Administrative Centre and liaison offices will be disrupted on Monday 26 January 2026. You can still request your documents online and make an appointment on the External siteMyBXL citizen portal.

Bonus for a diagnosis and works against flooding

When it rains hard, the city of Brussels regularly faces flooding. It sometimes happens that basements of residents are flooded. Do you live in a flood-prone area or suffer from flooding in your basement? The City of Brussels can help you with its new 'diagnose and works against flooding' premium.

Basement flooding can take several forms in Brussels:

  1. Either your basement is built in a zone where groundwater is naturally high. The groundwater then seeps through the walls into your basement.
  2. Either there are leaks in the pipes inside or around your building or in the public sewerage system in your street, causing leakage to seep into your basement.
  3. Either the public sewerage system is overloaded during an intense rainstorm, causing the public sewerage system to overflow onto the streets and enter your basement through grates, ventilation shafts or other openings.
  4. Either a large amount of rainwater causes the water level in the public sewer system to rise higher than the water level in your building, causing the sewage water to 'backflow' into your basement.

If your basement is affected by the latter type of flooding, especially the 'backflow of sewage water', this premium can help you protect your building. 

Sewage water 'backflowing' into your basement
© Vivaqua

Which actions are eligible?

The 'flood diagnosis and works' premium allows you to:

  • Have a diagnosis carried out by a Vivaqua 'flood' consultant: a consultant will visit you to examine your basement. He will make a report of this visit, which you will receive later. Based on this examination, he will propose a tailor-made solution to you in the form of a number of actions or works.
  • Have works carried out to solve the problem of 'sewage backflow' for your basement. Based on the diagnosis, you contact a professional company or contractor to have the proposed works carried out. You request one or more offers and have your chosen offer checked by the Vivaqua consultant. You then have the works carried out. After completion of the works, you make a final contact with the flood advisor who checks and approves the works.

Please note: only works proposed by the Vivaqua 'flood' advisors and approved by them after completion of the works are eligible for the premium.

How much is the premium?

The amount of the municipal premium includes the following elements:

  • The bill for External siteVivaqua's Flooding Guidance Service is paid directly by the City of Brussels up to a maximum of 900 euros. 
    This guidance service includes diagnosing your situation, proposing a suitable solution, checking contractors' quotes and monitoring the works carried out. In most cases, the 900 euros cover all the costs associated with Vivaqua's Flooding Guidance Service.
  • The invoices for the works are paid by you and reimbursed by the City of Brussels up to a maximum of 3,000 euros.

Who can apply for the premium?

To apply for the premium, you must meet 4 conditions, among others:

  • You are a natural or legal person who has had the diagnosis and works carried out
  • The diagnosis and works were carried out in a building located on the territory of the City of Brussels
  • The building is no longer subject to the architect's or contractor's ten-year liability regime
  • The building in which the diagnosis and works were carried out is located in a flood-prone area or suffers from flooding due to the 'backflow of sewage water'

Consult the following map to find out if your building is located in a flood-prone area:

External siteFlood maps for the Brussels Region (Atlas)

If your building falls under a low probability, medium probability, or high probability, then your building is located in a flood-prone area.

If your building is outside these areas but still suffers from flooding due to 'sewage backflow', you can demonstrate this through videos and photos. When the Vivaqua 'flooding' consultants visit your building, they will identify the 'backflow' problem. If the advisers determine that your type of flooding is not due to 'backflow from sewers', you will not qualify for the premium. This determination remains completely free of charge.

  • If you qualify for the premium, first contact us using this External siteform.
  • Share your identity and the address of the building, as well as any photos or videos of previous floods.
  • The Climate and City in Transition Service of the City of Brussels will forward your file to the Vivaqua 'flood' advisers.
  • A 'floods' advisor will then contact you. You continue to follow the guidance service, as communicated to you by the 'flood' advisor.
  • You carry out the works suggested to you by the 'flood' advisor.
  • Once you have carried out the works and the works are approved by the 'flood' advisor, you must complete the municipal premium application form (1.13 MB) and send it with the required documents to urb.primes@brucity.be within 3 months of receiving the written declaration of conformity of the works by the 'flood' advisor.

During Vivaqua's guidance service, you should be able to provide the following information to the 'flood' consultants, possibly with a plan/sketch:

  • The location of the rainwater drains and how they are connected to the private network
  • The route of the basement sewage system and the various openings and connection points in the basement (cesspool, inspection pits, sink, toilet, shower,...)