Renting out student rooms in Brussels

Brussels: almost 140,000 students

According to perspective.brussels, the Brussels-Capital Region has almost 140,000 students in higher education, spread over Dutch-speaking and French-speaking universities, university colleges and art schools. An earlier survey found that about a third of students live in student housing, such as a studio, a shared rental or a residence.

That makes Brussels a large but fragmented market, with many international students and a mix of languages. Your tenants, and sometimes their parents, expect clear and digital communication.

Separate legislation: the Brussels Housing Code

Residential tenancy is a regional matter in Belgium. In the 19 Brussels municipalities, the Brussels Housing Code applies, not the Flemish Residential Tenancy Decree. The Code contains a separate regime for the student housing lease. That regime is not automatic: both landlord and student must choose it.

The student proves their status with an enrolment certificate from an educational institution. If they do not have it yet when signing, a copy of their enrolment application is enough, but they must provide the certificate within two months of moving in. If they fail to do so, the lease does not count as a student lease. The lease may also be signed by the parents on behalf of the student. The Brussels government provides a model lease.

Duration and notice: different from Flanders

A Brussels student lease lasts at most twelve months. If the student stays on after the end date without objection from you, the lease is renewed for one year on the same terms. The rent may be indexed at that point.

• As a landlord, you give notice for the end date, at least three months in advance.
• The student can give notice at any time with a two-month notice period, without compensation.
• Before moving in, the student can cancel up to one month before the start for legitimate reasons, such as failing exams or being refused by the institution, against a fee of one month's rent.
• Leases shorter than three months cannot be terminated early.

Deposit, label and registration in Brussels

The deposit also follows Brussels rules. In a blocked account in the tenant's name, it may not exceed two months' rent. If the tenant opts for a bank guarantee that they pay off gradually, it can be up to three months' rent. There is also a bank guarantee through a standard agreement between the public social welfare centre (CPAS/OCMW) and the bank. For background, see our guide on the deposit.

Brussels also has a voluntary quality student housing label, awarded by the administration for five years. Among other things, your room must meet safety, health and equipment requirements, have a valid energy performance certificate and be let under a student lease. Lease registration is a federal matter and works via MyRent, as everywhere in Belgium. Our guide on registering via MyRent explains how.

Main residence and co-tenancy

Which rules apply alongside the student regime depends in Brussels on how the room is used. If the student, with your agreement, makes it their main residence, the rules for main-residence leases also apply, except those on duration and notice, because the student regime has its own rules for those. If the room is not their main residence, only the common rules for all residential leases apply.

Brussels also has its own rules for co-tenancy (colocation): several tenants signing one lease for one property. These rules only apply if the landlord and co-tenants agree on it together. The co-tenants can then draw up a co-tenancy pact setting out how they live together. If there is such a pact, only the co-tenancy rules apply, not the student lease rules. For a shared student house, you therefore choose deliberately which regime to use.

Student housing management in Brussels with Kotmaster

If you own rooms in both Brussels and Flanders, you work with two legal frameworks. In Kotmaster you use the right lease template for each building, have it signed digitally with itsme® and register lease and inspection report with one click via MyRent. You do the inspection report with photos on your smartphone, at move-in and move-out.

Kotmaster follows up payments automatically, indexes rent by the health index and keeps track of notice periods and end dates. Communication with tenants runs through channels such as WhatsApp and Gmail. See all features or request a demo.