Student housing on the private market

Student housing can only be rented by students (e.g. degree students, exchange students, PhD students, ...). You must be able to provide proof of your student status (like a student card). Student rooms are mainly aimed at individual students. Sometimes studios are available for two people.

​The last couple of years the number of students looking for a student room in Antwerp has increased. So start your search in time! 

Kotweb offers the largest range of student accommodation in Antwerp. It is a unique initiative between the Antwerp city authorities, higher education institutions in Antwerp and STAN, Antwerp's student portal. It is recommended to start your search there.

We advise you to search for student accommodation that has a quality label and a model lease (contract).

• Quality label: Accommodation for students must comply with certain statutory regulations in terms of quality, fire protection and urban development. Landlords can request a full inspection of their accommodation through the City of Antwerp, based on these terms. A positive inspection results in a quality label for said accommodation. This quality label is not mandatory, but can give you the guarantee that an accommodation has been checked and approved. Kotweb is the only online platform that consistently mentions these quality labels.
  

• Model lease: Kotweb provides a model lease (contract) that students are advised to use. Please check with your landlord whether they use the standard lease or not. Rental agreements for student rooms are different from traditional renting contracts. If the landlord uses the model lease, you can be sure it is a contract with a good legal basis and corresponds to this rental law. The model lease is available in Dutch and in English and can be checked online.

Check the manual of Kotweb to get you started or get a tour on the platform.

All international students who will be staying in Belgium for more than three months have to apply for a residence permit upon arrival. Please ensure that your landlord is aware of this. German, French and Dutch nationals are exempted from this regulation. Usually Belgian students are still officially registered at their parental address, even when they rent a room close to the university during the week. Renting rooms through AirBnB is strongly discouraged when you have to apply for a residence permit (non-EEA students and EEA students staying for more than one semester).

You only sign a rental agreement when you're completely certain that you're coming to Antwerp and that you want to stay in this student accommodation. Once the contract is signed, you are legally bound to it. If you’ve found an accommodation on a different website and you are not sure if it is a scam or not, don’t hesitate to contact us. But to avoid scams, we suggest you use Kotweb.

Note:

• We advise you to sign a model lease on Kotweb.
• Ask for an English translation so you fully understand what's in the rental agreement, because you are legally responsible for what you sign.
• Keep in mind that you have to pay until the end of the agreed stay. So make sure the period on your rental agreement matches your actual stay to avoid unnecessary costs. 
• Keep in mind that you’re only allowed to terminate the lease agreement early in very specific cases. ​Even if you fall under one of these circumstances, legally allowing an early termination, you will still be subject to a 2-month notice period. Your landlord will need proof to determine whether you qualify for early termination of the lease.

​What is the average price for a student room or student studio?​

Your landlord can charge a fixed amount for utilities such as heating, electricity, water, etc. or a provisional charge. The provisional charge is paid in advance and actual usage amounts are calculated at the end of the lease. Avoid any nasty surprises and ensure you clarify which of these two systems will be used before you sign a lease.

A deposit is an amount of money that the landlord can use to compensate for possible damage. If you leave the room clean and without any damage, the landlord will refund the total deposit amount.

Note:

• Check your rental agreement for the deadline for refunding the deposit.
• A deposit cannot be used to pay your last month’s rent.
• The security deposit may not exceed the amount of two months' rent. This is required by law.
• A deposit cannot be paid in cash. It can be transferred to the landlord's bank account, or to a blocked account under the tenant's name. 
• Sometimes the bank deducts costs for international bank transfers. Keep in mind that the landlord needs to receive the full amount of rent. So, if your bank charges international transaction fees, make sure to let your bank charge them to your account and not the landlord's. If somehow the bank has to deduct costs from the deposit for international transaction fees, the landlord can only refund the amount they received.  

The tenant and the landlord are under the obligation to jointly (meaning in the presence of both parties or their representatives) draw up a detailed entry inventory of the room, at their joint expense. This must occur within the first month of the tenancy. The inventory report must be attached to the tenancy agreement. The inventory report acts as proof of the condition of the room at the start of the tenancy. This is important at the end of the tenancy, as the tenant is required to return the rented property in its original condition.

Can I place my domicile on the address of my student accommodation?

No, it’s not possible to use the address of a student accommodation as your domicile (main residence). The Belgian law on student housing states that this is not allowed. So, if you are signing a rental agreement specifically for a student accommodation, you cannot use the address for your domicile (main residence).

Make sure to double check your rental agreement on this, before signing it. If the accommodation is registered as student housing, the title of the rental agreement should confirm this. For example, in Dutch, it would state: “Huurovereenkomst voor studentenverblijf”. If your rental agreement mentions, in Dutch, “Huurovereenkomst voor hoofdverblijf”, this is not a contract that can be used for a student accommodation. When in doubt, ask your landlord about the nature of the contract, so that he can confirm whether it is a rental agreement for student housing or for regular housing. This is important, as the Belgian law on student housing is different from the Belgian law on regular housing.

Only when you are signing a rental agreement for regular housing, you will be allowed to take your main residence (in Dutch: hoofdverblijf) at the address. Only in this case, you can use the address for your domicile.

Do I need a domicile in Belgium to apply for a residence permit?

No, this is not mandatory. Most students assume that a domicile is required in order to apply for a residence permit, but this is not the case.

EEA-students staying in Antwerp for one semester, have been granted the exception by the city of Antwerp to decide whether they would like to apply for a residence permit or not. Applying for a residence permit is possible for EEA-students, but not mandatory. Keep in mind that this exception applies to EEA-students staying for one semester only!

All other students who must apply for a residence permit, are able to do so without domiciling in Antwerp, as long as they keep their main residence in their home country. By keeping your address in your home country as your main residence (in Dutch: hoofdverblijf), the address you have in Antwerp will be registered as your temporary residence. This registration is not the same as a domicile, but suffices for your residence permit.

So, if you are coming to Antwerp for your studies and still have your address in your home country as a main residence, you do not need to domicile in Antwerp to apply for a residence permit.

Check with your landlord which furnishings are provided at the accommodation:

• a desk
• a wardrobe
• a chair
• a bed
• a mattress
• bed linen (sheets, pillow, pillow case and blankets)
• kitchen utensils
• etc.

Note: A sleeping bag is a good temporary solution.

Don’t be scammed by booking student accommodation that does not exist.

On Kotweb you can find tips on how to check if a room really exists. If you have any doubts about your accommodation, please reach out to the International Student Housing Office before signing or paying anything.

When applying for your residence permit, it is stated that the building where you will be staying must have a working doorbell and mailbox. If your building does not have these, contact your landlord to kindly inform him or her about this. It is stated by law that there must be a working doorbell and mailbox.