overview
For students
Commute or rent a room?
You're about to start your studies at a college or university. You've chosen your classes but haven't decided yet whether to commute or rent a room? These considerations will help you decide:
- How much are you willing to spend on room rent? How much would it cost you to use public transport to commute?
- How long is the trajectory from your house to the school? If it's more than an hour, single journey, we would advise you to rent a room.
- Renting a room = living independently, taking responsibility.
- Maybe you'd prefer to stay at home? Is it easier for you to study there? Are you in a local community?
- As a room student you can partake actively in student life. There's always something to do in your student town.
The hunt for a room!
You've decided to rent a room? Here's some tips for your search:
- make a selection based on price, location, number of months on the rental agreement,..
- pick three or four options and contact the landlord to arrange a room visit. Always arrange a meeting for this!
- compare price and quality
- talk to students who live at the room address about their experiences in the building
- pay attention to the minimal comfort conditions (sink in the room, heating, isolation,...), fire security and hygiene
- don't neglect to see the room in person!
- pay attention to the rental agreement suggested by the landlord. Read it attentively. The model agreement provided by Kotwest is recognizable by the house logo in the right upper corner.
The rental agreement
We prefer a rental agreement in writing to an oral agreement. This is why Kotwest offers a model agreement. This can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
Do note: alterations can't be made without the written consent of Kotwest.
Some tips regarding the rental agreement: make sure these issues are addressed if you use a different agreement than the model supplied by Kotwest:
- name and address of the landlord
- address, room number and location
- facilities in the room and/or the building
- term of the rental
- rental price: how and when to pay it, extra costs, final bill,..
- severance arrangement
- agreement pertaining to staying during weekends, second exam period,...
- starting point of heating, gas and water counter in case of individual counters
A contract is best made in 4 copies: one for the student, one for the landlord, one for the school and one for registration.
As an international student you will sign a Dutch rental contract but you always receive the English translation.
Carefully read each paragraph!
To avoid any problems, use Kotwest's model agreement!
The rental price
The rental price of a room or studio varies greatly. In West-Flanders, the average rental price for a student room based on a 12 moth rental contract is about 400€/month, all costs included. You can always find cheaper or more expensive options.
In the rental agreement there needs to be a clear description of which costs are included and which are charged seperately. Three formulas are possible:
All in: All costs are included in the rental price. Variations in your energy use won't be calculated For example € 400,00.
If energy costs aren't included in the rental price, they will be paid separately. The rental contract has to state clearly in which fashion these costs are calculated: through a flat rate or using an advance with a final bill at the end of your rental period.
Flat rate: This means you will pay a fixed amount each month, regardless of your energy use. Variations in your energy use won't be calculated, for example your rental price is 300 euros and the energy costs are charged at a fixed rate of 50 euros.
Advance payments with final bill: In this formula you pay a certain amount for your energy use each month, but depending on your use you will either get money back or have to pay extra at the end of your rental period. All energy consumption costs have to be accounted for by the landlord using the official bills.
Tip: if you have an individual counter for your energy use, note the number at the start of your stay and let your landlord sign this.
Domicile
General population regulations provide that every person must be registered in the registers of the municipality where they have established their main residence, at the address where they effectively reside for most of the year.
But for students who are in " kot " close to where they study, it is considered that this is a temporary situation; they are therefore considered temporarily absent and must remain registered in their families. Indeed, in general, students remain dependent on their parents during this period and come home regularly for weekends and school holidays.
One of the main consequences of this situation is that students remain administratively managed by the municipality where they are registered, in particular for all their official documents (identity card, driving licence, etc.), to obtain certificates or attestations and for their electoral obligations.
However, this is not a mandatory rule, because the regulations provide that students who no longer have a family or home in their home municipality and are no longer dependent on their family will be registered in the municipality where they actually reside.
A student may therefore request his registration in the registers of the municipality where he is studying. In addition to the reality of effective residence, the municipality must consequently verify that the student is no longer a dependent of his family (that he has a enjoys financial independence) and that he no longer has a family or home in another municipality.
In short, it is therefore permissible to place a student's domicile at a student accommodation address.
Deposit
The deposit will usually be the amount of 1 or 2 months' rent. The security deposit may have a maximum value of 2 months' rent and must be provided at the earliest 3 months before the lease takes effect.
Some landlords also require a key deposit? This must be clearly defined in the rental agreement.
The landlord is free to choose to have the deposit paid into an individualised and blocked account in the tenant's name or to have it deposited into his account. In any case, you are entitled to interest on this sum!
The deposit serves to compensate for any damage caused by you in the room or common spaces - so it is a kind of insurance for the landlord. The deposit should never be used to pay the rent.
End of the rental period, nothing damaged and all your tenant obligations met? Then the landlord must repay you the full deposit with interest within three months. The landlord can always dispute this by registered letter. He must be able to prove the costs he charges.
Ending your contract prematurely
Breaking your lease early is only possible in some specific situations:
The lease has not yet entered into force: you will owe a two-month rent termination fee if you broke the lease less than three months before it entered into force.
You stop your studies: you will have to present the deregistration certificate from the educational institution and a two-month notice period applies. For example: I deregister on 15 October and send a registered letter with proof of deregistration to my landlord on 16 October. My termination takes effect on 1 November. Specifically, the rent for November and December is still due.
In the event of the death of one of your parents or another person responsible for your upkeep: you will have to submit the death certificate and there is a two-month notice period.
In the event of the death of the tenant himself, the lease will be terminated by operation of law.