While Parking.brussels may be good at shaking down Brussels motorists for parking fines, it is not so good at paying its own rent. The regional parking agency has been ordered to pay over €100,000 in unpaid rent to real estate agency Immo Plaisance & Vax after Parking.brussels terminated its lease unilaterally, according to broadcaster RTBF.
In 2019, Parking.brussels rented a premises for its workers in Schaerbeek from the estate agency. The lease, signed by both parties, agreed a rental period until the end of 2028. The earliest that the contract could be terminated was December 2023, with at least six months' notice.
Parking.brussels agreed to pay €5,000 per month and €2,000 in monthly charges. According to the real estate agency, the company received a letter from Parking.brussels in November 2020 stating that it had already left the premises without providing prior notice.
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The parking company had made advanced payments up until the end of 2020 but then refused to make any further payment beyond this point. It blamed its actions on poor conditions within the building, stating that the roof was leaking and there was significant water damage which “posed a great danger.”
“These disturbances no longer allowed us to occupy the premises in accordance with the terms of the lease,” a spokesperson for Parking.brussels told RTBF.
Failure to pay
After negotiations between both parties broke down, the case was brought before the Brussels Court of First Instance who ruled in favour of the lease agent. The courts ordered Parking.brussels to pay nearly €100,000 in unpaid rent, which have since grown by over €50,000.
The real estate agent says that the missed rents account for nearly 50% of the company’s turnover and claims that the parking authority’s refusal to pay is endangering the company.
“When a motorist does not pay their parking fee, Parking.brussels immediately claims its dues. But here, when the courts prove them wrong, Parking.brussels does not comply,” estate agent owner Xavier Van Achter lamented.
