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Finding a Place in Brussels

traineescommittee

This is the first post on our new ECTA blog!


And it’s about one of the most important issues for new Blue Book trainees arriving in Belgium: Housing in Brussels.


Finding a good place to stay in Brussels for five months (or longer!) is not easy, and certainly not cheap. But typically, everyone manages to find something that works for them eventually. And we’re here to help (:

 

1. Strategy


First a few strategic points to consider:


  • Try to be early. Finding a good place to stay is sometimes just a matter of being first. And while some trainees start looking only shortly before their traineeship starts, having housing fixed early does not only increase your chances at something nice and cheap, but also takes away a lot of the initial stress.

  • Activate any contacts you already have in Brussels and ask them about their experiences from when they moved here. They might have useful contacts themselves or access to networks in Brussels that they could share your search request with. Don’t be shy, almost everyone has asked for help in finding apartments here at some point.

  • Apart from which kind of housing opportunity you are looking for (own apartment, co-living space, shared flat, etc.) try to go through a trusted intermediary first, like well-known online housing platforms. This typically makes things much easier and more secure. Directly contacting and doing business with a potential landlord works, but can be burdensome, legally complex and in some cases even dangerous – please look at our tips about how to avoid scammers below!

  • If you don’t manage to find anything at first, don’t panic, but do act. Some trainees initially rent a place for a shorter amount of time – like a few weeks – in order to look at apartments when the traineeship has already started. However, this typically adds a lot of stress at the beginning of your traineeship, which is a time that is much nicer spent on getting to know people instead of getting to know the Belgian housing market. But if nothing else opens up for you, this opportunity is available and has worked for a lot of Blue Book trainees in the past.

 

2. Scammers


Remain vigilant and watch out for scammers. To do this, and to avoid other bad experiences, here are a few tips.


  • Talk to your potential landlord(s) – not only via email – and make sure their story checks out. It is better to be safe than sorry. Try to contact current flatmates to check if they are real (not just a make-believe social media profile with no pictures or activity).

  • View the room, either in person or online. If needed, potentially ask a friend in Brussels to do it for you. Do not trust a whole bunch of pretty pictures in an email! If they refuse or make up excuses why a viewing is not possible online, there is a decent chance it is a scam. Same if they arrange a viewing and do not turn up.

  • Google the name of the landlord. Perhaps some people might have posted or commented if someone is a scammer.

  • Check the payment methods. The landlord should be using a real bank account. However, keep in mind that even a regular bank account can be that of a scammer.

  • Trust your gut feeling! Talk to others, show them the details, perhaps hold an online viewing with a family member or friend, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Remember, if it sounds too perfect, it may just be too good to be true. For instance, the supposed flatmates may magically have the same nationality as you, same interests etc. – scammers try to learn everything about you by googling you and charming you into renting a room that way. Be weary of this.

  • Consider going to the police if you get scammed despite all this. The more people who report scammers, the more likely it is they will be found, charged and prosecuted.

 

3. Useful sites


To give you a bit of a helping hand, we compiled a few links to short-term-rental websites as well as to some useful Facebook groups below.

 

3.1 Our t-card partners


First of all, we want to highlight our beloved t-card housing partner companies. If you get a (very cheap) t-card from us, you save 20% to 25% on the booking fee when booking on their platforms. It’s absolutely amazing, go for it!!!


Currently (as of January 2025), these are:


 

3.2 Other platforms


The following other platforms regrettably do not (yet) offer t-card discounts, but still somehow manage to survive financially and might be of help if you find nothing at our t-card partner platforms at all:


 

3.3 Social media groups


Not all housing is done via platforms in Brussels, quite the contrary! Many landlords try to find new lessees via social media. Some are both very kind and very professional landlords, and some are ruthless scammers, so again, beware!


Here are a few Facebook links we compiled that might help:


You can also ask or search in Facebook groups with people from your country living in Brussels or for expat-groups in general (like Expats in Brussels)

 

3.4 Blacklist


Lastly, we also have a list of housing platforms and landlords previous generations of Blue Books have made bad experiences with (of course, none of the housing platforms listed above). If you want to check, whether your housing platform or landlord is on the list, feel free to contact us.

 

We hope this helps! All the best of luck with your search! We’re sure you’re going to find a beautiful place to call your home here, eventually (-;

 

Your ECTA team

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