Before you pay, check first.
Whether you're paying a contractor a deposit, letting a new client buy on invoice, renting a home or ordering online, Checked shows in 30 seconds whether a Belgian company is healthy per the official sources, and tells you in plain language what it means and what to do.
Search the contractor, garage, kitchen fitter or supplier before you pay a deposit.
Search the new client or supplier before you deliver on invoice or sign a contract.
Search the landlord, developer or property company before you pay a deposit or advance.
Search the webshop or service provider by name or CBE number: it's in the site footer or terms.
Free. No account needed for the basic check.
Six signals decide whether a company is a risk. Checked pulls them from the official sources onto one page: here's what each one means.
The enterprise court has declared bankruptcy and the procedure is still open. Pay no deposit: a receiver now controls the accounts.
The court appoints a provisional administrator when a company is in acute difficulty. An early signal, not a finding of bankruptcy, often before it reaches the press.
A Book XX procedure to restructure under court supervision. The company is still alive but under pressure. Protect your payment.
A director is under a professional ban (RD no. 22): a court barred them from running a company. Shown only on an exact name and case match.
Sudden board changes or a very young company mean a thin track record. Not a red flag by itself, but a reason for extra caution on large amounts.
Accounts filed on time signal discipline and transparency. Missing or late filings lead to a strike-out by FOD Economie and often foreshadow payment problems.
- Cap your deposit at 15 % and tie later payments to delivered milestones.
- Ask for a deposit guarantee via the company's bank before you pay.
- Request a current insurance certificate (public liability, plus 10-year liability for construction).
- Put every agreement in writing: quote, schedule and payment plan, and pay by transfer, never cash.
- Set a credit limit per client and have a new client prepay the first orders.
- Agree a short payment term with clear late-payment interest.
- Add a retention-of-title clause to your terms until everything is paid.
- Add the client or supplier to your watchlist so a new signal reaches you at once.
- Check that the landlord or seller is actually the owner or an authorised director.
- Always pay a rental deposit into a blocked account in both names, never directly.
- Route a purchase agreement or major lease through a notary or licensed estate agent.
- Keep every payment proof and all communication, in writing, not just verbal.
- Pay with a method that offers protection (card or a payment service with chargeback), not a plain transfer.
- Check that a valid enterprise number and a physical address are listed on the site.
- Know your right of withdrawal: 14 days for a distance purchase from a webshop.
- Keep the order confirmation, the terms and all emails until delivery is complete.
Based on official sources: the Belgian Gazette, the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (KBO) and the National Bank (NBB). No guesswork, no ads, no reselling of your searches.
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