Who drafts the preliminary sale agreement in Wallonia?

In Wallonia the preliminary sale agreement is usually drafted by the notary or the estate agent handling the sale. Because it is binding once signed, drafting it is best left to a professional, and the notary’s involvement is free of extra charge (Notaire.be, 2026).

The compromis de vente is the document that legally forms the sale, so who writes it matters. In practice three drafters are common: the notary, the estate agent acting under a mandate, and, more rarely, the parties themselves.

The notary is the safest choice. As a public officer, the notary drafts the compromis with the correct clauses, verifies the essential elements and can already flag mortgage, tax or planning issues, at no additional cost beyond the fixed deed tariff (Notaire.be, 2026). Many Walloon sales run this way, especially when the situation is complex.

An estate agent holding a valid mandate frequently prepares the compromis too, using tested templates aligned with Walloon rules and the clear-language models published by the profession (Notaire.be, 2025). A good agent coordinates the certificates, the suspensive conditions and the timing, then passes the file to the notary for the deed.

The counter-intuitive warning: because Belgian law treats the compromis as equivalent to the sale (Civil Code, article 1583), a document downloaded from the internet and signed between private parties is just as binding as a professionally drafted one, defects and all. A missing suspensive condition or a vague deadline cannot easily be undone afterwards. That risk is exactly why Easyhome prepares the compromis carefully and works hand in hand with your notary.

At a glance