FAQ

There needs to be a sufficient number of student rooms available for you to be able to rent one. As from April, the number of available rooms increases. Look on websites like MyKot. At Brik, the rental season starts at the beginning of July, after the exam period.

Don’t just haphazardly wander into the city hoping to find a room—look online instead. At mykot.be, you’ll find more than 3,300 student rooms, studios and apartments for students in Brussels. Enter your preferences and find out which rooms are available. Once you’re logged in, you can contact the landlord. Tip: Always see the room before you sign a contract!

Brik will also help you in your search. We organise Open Room days on the open days for your future college or university. This is a great way to see what to expect in a student room.

During our Kottours, we guide you through the student rooms that we let and that are available for the upcoming year. You’re immediately able to see the different student rooms from Brik. The Brik Kottours run all summer, visiting available rooms until everything has been rented.

Look for these five important factors:
1. The student room meets safety requirements.
2. There is a solid tenancy agreement.
3. The location and travel time to your college or university is acceptable.
4. The level of comfort and privacy suits you and your personality.
5. You’re (financially) ready to set out on your own.

Read more in this article

The rental prices for student rooms in Brussels vary a lot. The type of room, the size (surface area) and the facilities all factor into the rental price. The neighbourhood, the length of stay, and the energy rating all play a role too.

A few figures …

• According to the 2022 Kotkompas, a student room in Brussels costs an average of €000.00.

• According to a 2022 Brik survey, students had to pay €000.00 for a student room.

• At MyKot, the average price of a student room in 2022 was €000.00.

In these cases, the figures are for an average of allstudent rooms.

Brik also lets furnished student rooms in Brussels. You rent these rooms for a period of twelve months. The monthly rent consists of a fixed net rental price, the costs for internet, taxes and a deposit for the use of utilities. These are calculated at the end of the year.

Brik offers different types of rooms:

• Kot (shared kitchen, shower and toilet) from €307.50 + extra costs.

• Kot+ (room with own shower) from €377.50 + extra costs.

• Studio (room with own toilet facilities and a little kitchen, all in a single space) from €427.50 + extra costs.

The standard legal period for a student room contract is twelve months, but there are also landlords who offer shorter contracts. Via MyKot, you have the ability to search for different periods of time. (Under the filters, click on ‘More’). You might be able to negotiate with the landlord.

At Brik, we offer short-term student rooms for stays of one semester, or shorter, in the Van Orley International Student House. They are specially for international students.

A tip: You might convince the landlord to agree to a six-month contract if you’re able to find someone who will rent the room for the other six months.

Make sure to contact the student-support service (STUVO) at your college or university. They can guide you through the student grants and financial aid offered by your college or university. Some schools offer a rental premium, but with conditions (i.e. you need to rent a student room on the campus, or rent through Brik). Brik itself does not offer any rental premiums.

Finally, pay a visit to the social rental office for students (Sociaal Verhuurkantoor voor Studenten – SVKS) to check whether you qualify; they let student rooms at very low prices.

See also: https://centenvoorstudenten.be

Let’s not beat around the bush: Brussels is a metropolis (the only one in Belgium) and has the pros and cons you’ll find in any large city. Do you want figures? On the Safe Cities Index published by The Economist in 2021, Brussels scored just below Paris and just above Rome. Not bad company.

A feeling of safety is subjective and depends very much on who you are and where and when you’re in the city. The chance of pickpockets is greater in a busy station than in the supermarket on the corner of your street. You’ll find a little healthy common sense goes a long way.

Still have doubts? Drop by during one of our Open Room days and talk about it with the locals!

We have different types of student rooms:

LONG STAY = A twelve-month stay:

• Kot (shared kitchen, shower and toilet): from €307.50 + extra costs

• Kot+ (room with own shower): from €377.50 + extra costs

• Studio (room with its own toilet facilities and a little kitchen, all in one space): from €427.50 + extra costs

These costs are for furnished rooms. The extra costs are for internet, any taxes and the monthly deposit for utilities (with the final amounts for the utilities calculated at the end of the academic year).

SHORT STAY = If you’re staying for a single semester (or shorter)

• See our rooms in the Van Orley International Student House

As well as this, we offer a few unfurnished flats for young graduates. More info here.

We rent rooms and studios to students from our partner institutions. They are VUB, EhB, Odisee, LUCA and KU Leuven Brussels campuses. To rent a student roomfrom Brik, you must be enrolled with one of these partner institutions. We ask for proof of enrolment. (Haven’t enrolled yet? A copy of your request to enrol or a declaration of honour is sufficient.)

Yes, you can! We encourage new renters to visit a student room before signing a contract. This way, you won’t have any surprises later. In the summer, we organise different Kottours of the available rooms a few times per week. What you see is what you get!

Renting a student room for the coming academic year is only possible during the Kottours taking place over the summer months. Enrolment is mandatory; you’re able to do this from June via the link. This approach limits the number of times people visit, guaranteeing the peace and quiet of the current tenants.

When there are rooms available for rent during the academic years, you can always contact us to arrange a visit.

All the photos of the Brik roomsare on mykot.be. You see a few photos for each of the student houses. If a room is available, you’ll see the photos of it.

For a full idea of what a student roomlooks like, you’re best visiting it. This is possible via our Kottours.

If you choose a student room with Brik during the Kottours, we ask that you provide the necessary personal details and documents on the same day. If you’re unable to do that, your reservation will expire. Signing takes place digitally. You have five days in which to sign. It goes without saying that you can reserve only one room.

If you’re making an online booking as an international student, you have twenty-four hours to provide the documents and confirm your reservation.

There is no waiting list. We work on the basis of first come, first served.

You can sign the contract for a student room from Brik before you have the results of your entrance exam. If you do not pass, you can cancel until 1 September for an administrative fee of 100 euro.

If you make your own decision not to take the room or not to study in Brussels, the normal cancellation procedure applies.

No. The price on MyKot is the net rental price. Via the detail summary, you can see what additional costs apply. With Brik, they typically include the cost for internet, a deposit for utilities (with the actual costs calculated later) and any taxes. Please note: you always pay a bond at the beginning of the contract.

If the student room is on MyKot, it’s still available for the period reported. If you don’t see it on the site anymore, it’s no longer available.

Brik provides wireless internet in all student rooms. For this, you can expect costs of 15–25 euro per month, to be paid together with the rent. We offer guaranteed speeds of 12 Mbps for downloading and 3 Mbps for uploading.

The safety of Brik student houses is tested against the requirements of the Brussels fire department.

The necessary fire extinguishers and emergency lighting are present in all student houses. They’re checked every year to ensure they’re functioning correctly. There is a fire alarm present in all student rooms and communal spaces. The central fire-detection installations are checked every year.

Our different student houses all have space for you to park your bike. Check MyKot for information.

Brik lets a number of flats for young graduates in the centre of Brussels. Graduates from our partner institutions (VUB, EhB, Odisee, LUCA and KU Leuven Brussels campuses) are all give precedence. You’ll find the exact eligibility criteria here.

The idea of the flats is to simplify the step from student life to a permanent home in Brussels. After three years, most tenants are ready for the next step. Furthermore, we only have a few flats. We want to give new graduates a chance at a place every year.

It’s best to check the price of each individual room. Take a look here.

No, the room rates are all-inclusive. However, you may have to pay extra costs if you damage your room or leave it in a poor condition at the end of your stay.

Our contracts run until 14 February for the autumn semester and until 14 September for the spring semester and over the summer. Take a look at the FAQs. We discuss the possibilities of extending your stay.

See here. After the call for applications has been sent, applications are processed on a first-come-first-served basis.

We provide plain white bedding, so no Spiderman or Frozen prints. You do have to bring your own towels.

There are already a lot of pots and pans in the building. We also provide every tenant with a basic set that includes cutlery and plates. If you want anything more specific than that, you’ll need to bring it or buy it yourself.

No, most double rooms have just one bedroom. See the floor plans for an outline of the rooms.

See here

Applications open at the beginning of July for the autumn semester and halfway through November for the spring semester. You can only apply once you’ve received the call for applications. Leave your contact info here to be sure you receive it.

1. Students from partner schools who are staying for a semester (VUB, EhB, Odisee, LUCA, KU Leuven Brussels campuses).

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2. Students from partner schools who are staying for less than a semester (VUB, EhB, Odisee, LUCA, KU Leuven Brussels campuses).

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3. Students enrolled at other schools in Brussels.

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4. Interns.

See this Facebook group. We will help where we can, so reach out for help if you need it!

For shorter stays you can choose to have a room-mate assigned by Brik. We only assign room-mates of the same gender and for no more than three months.

You don’t know what you’re missing! For a cancellation made less than one month prior to the beginning of the lease, you’ll have to pay one month net rent (without utility costs) as a cancellation fee. This will usually be deducted from the deposit you’ve already paid. The remainder of the deposit will be refunded.

The visa application process is something that may take time. If you’re not sure it will be approved, you may be best waiting to make your booking. Once you sign a tenancy agreement, you’ll have to pay a cancellation fee or pay the two-month notice period.

See step 3 on this page. A (preliminary) proof of enrolment can be an email from your guest university or your home university, a learning agreement, a student card of the guest university, an admission letter, etc.

Incoming students have priority. A contract extension may not be possible. And you may not be able to stay in the same room. Why? There are only limited housing options for short stays. Students who are staying in Brussels for longer periods of time have plenty of housing options elsewhere (see our other student rooms).

Go to our contact page.

As a student-tenant, there are certain matters for which you’re expected to do what’s required; replacing a light globe, unblocking and keeping the drains clear and keeping your room and the communal areas you share clean.

If there is an emergency or something is defective, the Brik technical service team is at your service.

Report your problem via email or by using the form. Always include your room number and add a photo. We are then in a better position to help you.

Is the Brik office closed? First consider whether the problem is able to wait until Brik is next open. Is it really an emergency? Give the on-call service a call.

Is the Brik office closed? First consider whether the problem is able to wait until Brik is next open.
Is it really an emergency? Give the on-call service a call.

You’ll find the telephone number on the welcome flyer that you received when you picked up your key, or on the front door/in the kitchen of your student house or here: +32 498 75 43 36

Contact Brik during office hours. For an administrative cost, you’ll be given a reserve key. Return the original key together with the reserve key at the end of your contract. If you do not do this, part of your bond will be withheld.

Outside office hours, the Brik on-call service is available to open your door. Please note this service is not free. You pay the costs for their interventions.

If you want an extra key—one extra key at most—you pay an administrative cost. You need to return the original and the extra key at the end of your contract. If you do not, part of your bond will be withheld.

Check whether your neighbours have the same problem. There may be a problem with one of your devices.

Run a speed test (www.fast.com), take a screenshot and send it to the internet provider and Brik.

You’ll find the contact details of your internet provider on the welcome flyer on the wall in the communal areas.

Make sure to include us in cc. This is how we keep track of whether you were helped or not.

You’ll find it posted in the communal areas and on the welcome flyer.

We tackle problems one building at a time. You’ll receive a message when it’s time for your student house.

For every report, we apply a priority. Less urgent matters are grouped with other jobs in the same student house. For really urgent problems, we usually come along the next workday. At the start of the academic year, we usually have more jobs to do, and it may take us longer.

What if it takes longer than expected? You can send us a reminder.

Having troubles with your neighbours? Pay them a visit and have a friendly chat. This is often all that’s required to solve a problem.

Are there still issues? Report them to the house representative of your student house and to Brik. We will try to mediate. In extreme and repetitive situations, you may have to contact the local police.

Is the device in your room beeping every few minutes? It means the battery is flat. Contact Brik as soon as possible for a replacement.

What if a siren is continuously sounding? This means that smoke or a fire has been detected. Close the windows and door to your room, avoid using elevators and go outside. Contact the Brik office or the on-call service when you’re safe. Always inform Brik in the event of a fire alarm, a system malfunction or a defective fire extinguisher. This helps to ensure fire safety.

We do our absolute best to offer you good service. What if something still doesn’t meet your wishes? Feel free to contact us to report it.

The student rooms that Brik lets are furnished. A bed with a slatted base (90×200 cm), a closet, a desk, a desk chair, a bookshelf and a stool are always included. You provide your own mattress and bed linen.

Yes, that’s fine. You can also replace the furniture that’s present with your own furniture if you wish. You need to arrange a storage place for the Brik furniture and make sure that it’s returned to the room in the same state at the end of your rental period. Storing furniture somewhere in the student house is not possible.

No. For safety reasons, you’re only allowed to put additional electrical devices in your room if there is space provided for cooking in your room. The communal kitchens are equipped for cooking.

If you do want to put a refrigerator in your room, you’ll need to ask Brik for permission. The deposit for energy is calculated on normal use, without extra devices. There’s a chance that you’ll have to pay more at the end of the rental period.

There are washing machines and dryers in the student houses in Duivenkotstraat 25, Zavelput 20 and Van Orleystraat 14.

It’s not possible to wash clothing in the other student houses. Fortunately, there are plenty of coin laundries in the city centre.

Yes, you can. At the end of your rental period, make sure the walls are once again painted clean white.

The Brik student houses are not fitted with TV connections. If the infrastructure is present, as a tenant, you can contact a provider to arrange a connection. You are responsible for all related costs.

€3 for washing and €0.50 for drying (10 mins).

You can have parcels delivered to the Brik office: Zavelput 20, 1000 Brussels. Always mention ‘Brik’ + your name.

You’re permitted to have visitors in the student house and in your room, but as a tenant, you’re responsible for the behaviour of your visitors. Keep (the environment of) your student house peaceful and quiet. Do not make any noise after 22:00.

You are not permitted to have guests staying in your room for multiple days without permission from Brik.

There’s no student life without parties, that’s for sure. Nonetheless, you’re not permitted to organise parties in Brik student houses. This is only so we can assure peace and quiet for neighbours and your housemates, and avoid problems and nuisances. Fortunately, there are plenty of places to go and party with your friends in Brussels.

No. Pets are not permitted in Brikstudent houses.

You, together with your fellow students. The house representative and Brik make a garbage schedule and hang it up at the beginning of the academic year. In the best case, you’ll only need to put the garbage out once every few weeks.

The house representative is a fellow tenant who serves, on one side, as a point of contact for Brik, and for residents on the other. The house representative helps to keep life in your student house moving forward in exchange for a discount on their rental price.

Leave your mobile phone number for the courier or specify a nearby Post Point as your preferred delivery location.

You need to clean your room or studio yourself. Brik comes in at least once every two weeks to clean the communal areas. All residents are responsible for keeping the communal spaces clean. We provide cleaning material in the communal areas.

Unfortunately, no. In the days before the start of the rental period, we work hard to check all student rooms and to perform all necessary and urgent repairs. You can move into your student room on 1 or 15 September.

Brik does that for you.

The Brik buildings have fire insurance. As a tenant, you’re responsible for the insurance of your personal property, with no recourse against Brik. You can even arrange this insurance as an extension of your parents’ existing fire-insurance policy.

Yes, twice: within the first five days after you move in and when you leave your student room. When you receive your key, you’ll be given a template that you can fill in. Even simpler, fill it in online via these links:

More info: Inventory Long stay
More info: Inventory Van Orley 14

No. Under a tenancy agreement for a student house, you’re not allowed to use your room as your registered address. If you are able to demonstrate a special need, and the party letting the student house gives their permission, it may be possible to make an exception.

Brik makes an exception for certain international students and students who have no other official residence. You’ll only be granted permission if you make a request in writing viawelcome@brik.be.

The rental regulations for student rooms in Brussels provide the possibility for students to end their tenancy agreements early, but only in certain cases and— even then—only with a cancellation period of two months. If you want to end your contract, you can inform Brik via registered mail. More info here.

How does the cancellation period work? Example: Your termination letter is sent by registered mail on 5 May. The cancellation period runs from 1 June up to and including 31 July.

Would you like to leave your room early? Contact Brik to discuss the possibilities. A tenancy agreement of three months or less cannot be terminated early.

The rental contact does not allow subletting. It is only possible with written approval from Brik. We only approve subletting if it fulfils a number of conditions. More info on this page.

Yes, you can! Let us know before 31 May if you would like to enter into a new contract with Brik. As our tenant, you’re given first choice for a change of room.

If you do not sign a new contract, you have no right to an extension and you’ll need to leave your student room or flat on 8 September.

You pay the first month of rent before the start date of the rent. Afterwards, you pay the rent on a monthly basis in the first five days after the start of the rental month. A rental month with Brik usually runs from the 15th of the current month until the 14th day of the following month.

You transfer the rent to the bank account number in your contract, or you can pay at the Brik office with Bancontact, Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Maestro, etc. We do not accept cash payments.

With your payment, make sure you state your room number and transfer the correct monthly amount.

The net rental price of your student room includes the rent of the (furnished) room and the use of the communal areas. One set of keys is included. As well as this, our maintenance team is at your service for repairs and the cleaning of the buildings.

An additional monthly cost is calculated for internet, water and energy. At the end of the tenancy agreement, we make a calculation of the actual costs based on the use of these utilities.

Since 2022, there has also been a municipal tax in Brussels City. You pay this every month on top of the rental price. We are trying to convince the city to cancel this tax for students. If we succeed, we will transfer the tax back to you.

The net rental price of your student room is calculated without costs for internet, taxes or use of utilities. Every month, there is a fixed cost charged for internet, taxes and a deposit for the use of energy and water. At the end of the academic year, we calculate the actual use of the energy and water and send you a final bill no later than 15 November.

Other additional costs may be charged if there is damage to your room or cleaning is required when you leave, for the loss of a key, or if the on-call service is called for a service that is not covered (for example, you left your key at home).

Brik follows the principle of ‘user pays’. At the end of your tenancy agreement, the costs for energy are calculated on the basis of the actual use in the student house. The methods for measuring use differ from one student house to the next, but usually use a combination of individual use and communal use.

Individual: There are, for example, individual counters that measure the electricity use per student room, calorimeters that the heating costs for each radiator, or a combination of both.

Communal: The energy costs for the communal areas are shared on the basis of the type of room you have. As a tenant in a studio for example, you pay no energy costs for the communal kitchen. The costs for hot and cold water are usually shared between all tenants.

In the tenancy agreement, you’ll find a link to the calculation methods for your type of student room. The contract also specifies which counters are individual. Consult the meters for your student room in the meter box in your building. By being conscientious about your use of energy and water, you’re able to save a considerable amount on your final bill.

Tips for limiting energy use are available here.

Your deposit is paid back in the two months after the conclusion of your tenancy agreement. If there is damage, cleaning costs or unpaid rent, they are withheld from your deposit.

The Brik rental prices are reviewed every year on the basis of the health index and approved by the board of directors that represents your school and students.

Inform us immediately. We look for the best possible solution in every case. If we do not know about your problem, you’ll automatically receive reminder messages and may be charged additional costs.

Remember that if you’re more than two months behind in your rent (without an agreement with Brik) your contract may be terminated.