You check an agent through the official IPI (BIV) public register at ipi.be, searching by name, company or location. The register is the only official database of licensed real estate agents and confirms whether the agent is approved as a broker (courtier) or syndic (IPI, 2026).
In Belgium, acting as a real estate agent is a regulated profession. Every practising agent must be registered with the Institut Professionnel des Agents Immobiliers (IPI, also known as the BIV), which sets ethical and professional standards. Checking that status protects you from unlicensed operators.
The verification is simple and free. The IPI runs a public search on its website, ipi.be, described as the only official database of real estate agents (IPI, 2026). You look up an agent by keyword (name or company), by location, or by professional category through a drop-down menu. The register distinguishes two roles: courtier, the intermediary who markets and negotiates sales and lettings, and syndic, who manages co-ownerships. An agent may hold one or both.
If the person or agency appears in the register, they are IPI-approved and entitled to practise. If they do not appear, that is a red flag, since the IPI itself warns against faux agents operating outside the register (IPI, 2026).
The counter-intuitive detail worth knowing: the licence attaches to individuals and to legal entities. A serious agency will have its company approval and its named agents both traceable in the register, so you can check the firm and the specific person you deal with. Easyhome agents are IPI-registered, and we encourage clients to verify us directly, because a licensed agent is your guarantee of professional insurance and a code of conduct.
At a glance
- Use the official IPI (BIV) public register at ipi.be (IPI, 2026)
- It is the only official database of real estate agents
- Search by name or company, by location, or by category
- Two categories: courtier (broker) and syndic (co-ownership manager)
- An entry confirms the agent is IPI-approved and may practise
- No entry is a warning sign of a possible faux agent
- Both individuals and companies are traceable in the register
- Licensing brings professional insurance and a binding code of conduct