For Longer Stay
Where to look for the accommodation?
If you come to Belgium for your studies, work or you wish to say for a reasonably long time, you will have to look for somewhere to live. In function of your budget and needs, you will opt for a student's room, a furnished studio, a flat or a house.
Internet
Most of the time word of mouth will help you find accommodation. But this is not as easy if you are still in your country of origin and you dont know anybody in Belgium. Log onto following sites (there are others too):
- www.immobiliengids.be [NL] (with addresses for all estate agencies in Flanders and with a data bank)
- www.immoweb.be [EN, FR, NL]
- www.easy.be [FR, NL]
- www.koopjeskrant.be [NL] (Flanders)
- www.vlan.be [FR, NL] (Brussels and Wallonia)
Papers
At weekends (and sometimes during the week), most newspapers (De Standaard, Gazet van Antwerpen, De Morgen) give a real estate supplement. If you are looking for accommodation in Brussels, go to the Urban Centre in Halles Saint-Géry.
Advertisements
Most advertisement papers (Passe-Partout, de Streekkrant, Vlan) that are distributed have a for sale/for rent column.
Small ads
The "woonkoopjeskrant"(Antwerp and Limburg edition, East and West Flanders and Flemish Brabant and Brussels) is published the second and fourth Thursday of the month. You can buy it from all newspaper kiosks.
Types of accommodation
Furnished rooms
You will find furnished rooms for rent in all major towns. These are good if you are looking for short-term accommodation. Rooms should meet the quality norms fixed by the legislation (size, electricity, sanitary, etc.). Ask the accommodation service in your higher school, university or in your municipality. These rooms are called "kot" in Belgium .
Communal houses
www.samenhuizen.be [NL] is for people who would like to share a house with others. You will find peoples experiences and some useful hints.
Where do I go in case of problems?
Legislation
On the website of the Ministry of Justice: www.just.fgov.be [DE, FR, NL], you will find information as regards the legislation on accommodation. You will find on the site a free folder "La loi sur les loyers" (the law and rents) that you can download (click on "Publications").
Tenant's Association
Problems with your rent?
Is your rent correctly indexed? Who has to pay for the repairs to my accommodation? You have a one year contract and you wish to end it after three months? Contact the closest tenant's association.
Agreement or judicial case
If you can't solve a problem via discussion or with the advice from the tenant's association, you can contact the supply judge (juge de la paix). Having a lawyer is not obligatory however it is advised to have one in complex cases as you probably don't know much about procedures and the regulation. Unfortunately, a lawyer costs a lot. You may want to choose to follow the mediation method as this procedure is free and few formalities are necessary. The tenant's association will give you further information as to how this works.