Renting out student rooms in Ghent

Ghent as a student city

According to City of Ghent figures, more than 87,000 students studied at Ghent University and the city's university colleges, such as HOGENT and Artevelde University of Applied Sciences, in the 2023-2024 academic year. Almost half of them live in a student room. That makes Ghent one of the largest student housing markets in the country.

Demand is high, but the city also monitors quality closely. Ghent has its own student housing service, Kotatgent, which runs the Kotenzoeker: the city platform where landlords list their rooms. To fight scams with fake listings, since 2025 you can only advertise there if you register with itsme® or your Belgian eID. In April 2025, around 4,100 rooms were listed on the platform.

Ghent's minimum standards for student rooms

Ghent sets clear minimum standards for student rooms on top of the Flemish housing quality standards. A room that does not meet them may not be let. The main requirements include:

• A single room is at least 12 m², a double room at least 18 m² (with exceptions for older rooms).
• At least 1 m² of window area for daylight and ventilation.
• A washbasin with hot and cold water in every room and at least two safe sockets.
• A shared kitchen of at least 1.5 m² per resident, with a fridge and cooking facilities.
• A smoke detector in every room and every shared kitchen, plus bicycle storage for all residents.
• An EPC (energy performance certificate) is required when letting student housing.

Conformity certificate and the student room tax

In Ghent, a conformity certificate is not mandatory for a student room, but it pays off. It proves that your room meets the minimum standards, and it matters for the second-residence tax, which Ghent also levies on student rooms. Student housing that is demonstrably of good quality, fire safe and legally subdivided qualifies for a much lower rate. Without that proof, you pay the full second-residence rate.

You may pass the tax on to the student, provided this is stated explicitly in the lease. The rates will change over the coming years, so check the current amounts on the City of Ghent website each year. The Flemish kotlabel is not yet issued in Ghent: the city is not on the list of municipalities that award it.

Leases, domicile and the Ghent rental cycle

The Flemish Residential Tenancy Decree also applies to student leases in Ghent: a deposit of at most two months' rent, no tacit renewal and a mandatory joint inspection report. You register the lease free of charge within two months via MyRent. Costs such as the second-residence tax or utilities can only be charged separately if the lease says so, so a solid student room lease is the foundation.

Belgian students do not need to move their official address to their student room: it counts as a temporary absence. International students may need to register their domicile. Our guide on domicile in a student room explains the details.

Fire safety in Ghent student buildings

Besides housing quality, Ghent takes fire safety very seriously. A room that does not meet the fire safety rules may not be let, even though a conformity certificate is not mandatory for student rooms. If you do apply for a certificate, the building is inspected by the city's supervision department and the fire service.

Ghent's fire safety standards for student housing cover, among other things:

• a fire resistance of at least one hour for structural elements;
• fire-resistant materials and sufficiently wide stairs and escape routes;
• fire extinguishers on every floor;
• emergency lighting in corridors and stairwells.

Student housing management in Ghent with Kotmaster

Kotmaster has an office in Ghent and knows local practice. You create leases from your own templates, including your arrangements on recharged costs, and have them signed digitally with itsme®. You do the inspection report with photos on your smartphone and register lease and report with one click via MyRent.

Rent payments are followed up automatically, cost settlements take a few clicks, and your EPC, certificates and leases are stored in one place. If several people work on your portfolio, each gets their own access. See what Kotmaster can do or book a demo.