An Introduction to the Rental Market in Belgium

If you are planning on moving abroad to live and possibly work in Belgium you will likely need to find a place to rent while you are living overseas in the country. It is a good idea to familiarize your self with the Belgian rental market and the process of obtaining a place to rent out while you are living overseas in Belgium. You should not rent out a place without seeing it first and without being familiar with the neighborhood that it is located in. Once you sign a rental contract you are going to have a hard time getting out of it. For this reason a lot of expatriates that are coming to Belgium to live start out in a hotel for a few days or weeks while they research places that are available to rent. This is a great way to learn what areas you would like to live in and what areas you would not like to live in.

Finding a place that you would like to rent to live in while in Belgium could be problematic if you are restricting your search to places around the Brussels area. Due to the constant flow of people in and around the capital city the rental prices are quite steep and the market is quite tight. You would do best to keep your search outside of the Brussels area. Other than that the rental housing is in abundance in Belgium. In fact a lot of retirees own rental property in Belgium that they rent out to supplement their income.

Typically in places that are available for rent in Belgium you will see signs in the windows that feature large orange letters on a black background. It will say either "a louer" or "te huur" and list a phone number. These are "for rent" or "for let" signs and you should call the phone number listed on the sign to get more information about the rental property. You may even be able to get an immediate appointment to see the property. In fact, this means of finding available rentals is quite popular in Belgium and is called "sign hunting" by locals.

Most apartments and homes that are available as rentals in Belgium rent unfurnished. Sometimes though the kitchen area will vary as to how equipped it is. If the kitchen is listed as being semi-equipped then you can expect it to have a sink and some cupboards, but that will be it. You will be expected to bring your own appliances to the rental place. Or you can make arrangements to purchase the prior tenants appliances from them. If the kitchen is listed as equipped it should have a stove and a refrigerator. However sometimes it does not mean that it has a refrigerator. If the kitchen is listed as being super equipped then it will have a dishwasher, microwave or other luxury appliances as well as the stove and refrigerator.