Coming to Antwerp - Housing

As LIVE master student you will receive well before your arrival in Antwerp more information about available student accommodations in Antwerp. 

If you prefer to look for accommodation yourself, we advise you to use www.studentkotweb.be. Kotweb offers the largest database of student accommodation in Antwerp. Owners can advertise their property free of charge on the site and manage their data themselves. Students can search the entire database quickly and free of charge. You can check the movie from CTC Marketing for more information! We advise you to search for a student accommodation with a green quality label and a model lease.

-          Green quality label: As a student, you cannot just rent any flat, bedsit, room or house. Accommodation for students must comply with certain statutory regulations in terms of quality, fire protection and urban development. The city of Antwerp inspects all student accommodation in Antwerp. Based on this inspection, the city services assign a quality label to each student property. If you search on any other website, you won't be able to see the result of the safety inspection, the quality label, and won't know whether the student accommodation has been approved by the city of Antwerp.

-          Model lease: Letting contracts for student rooms are different from traditional letting 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 provided in Dutch and in English and can be checked online.  

Here are some tips to help you in your search for suitable accommodation:

• Room or studio: A room has a shared kitchen and a shared bathroom. A studio is a room with a private bathroom and/or private kitchen.
• Costs: Be aware that the average price  for a student room with shared bathroom and kitchen is 390 EUR/month. The average price for a studio with private bathroom and/or kitchen is 450 EUR/month. In most cases cost like internet, water, gas, electricity and heating are not included. Your landlord can charge a fixed amount for utilities such as heating, electricity, water etc. or work with a provisional charge. The provisional charge is paid in advance and actual usage amounts are calculated at the end of the lease.
• Deposit: A landlord might ask you to pay a deposit up to 2 months rent. The deposit is not a way to pay your last month's rent. Since 01.01.2019 you need to pay by bank transfer and you cannot pay in cash. Never pay rent or deposit through Western Union! Note that the payment of a deposit is a binding acceptance of the contract. Read the contract carefully before signing or paying. You will read that if you break something, the landlord has the right to deduct the costs from your deposit.
• Flemish rental decree: The new Flemish Rental Decree includes a specific regulation for student rentals. It came into force on 1 January 2019. It applies to all leases signed on or after this date. More information can be found on Kotweb.