Wed, 23 May 2012
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Wrapping your head around the cost of living in Belgium? Here's a short introduction to our Renting a house or an apartment section for living in Belgium.Renting versus buying a home in Europe is a common dilemma expats face when they arrive in their new location. You will need to take many factors into consideration before deciding, including how long you plan to live in your new country of residence and the current property market, and articles such as Finding a rental home in Belgium and Property in Belgium: The pitfalls offer useful advice.
Unless your company provides expat apartments, or you can find something through friends, it is advisable to go through a reliable rental agency. Click through the housing pages in the Expatica A-Z listings to help you get started.
What a good rental agent should know
As one Expatica article states: “A good agent should be able to tell you about the market, city, price and quality of housing—as well as restrictions that apply to expats, arrange visits for you, negotiate with landlords and provide a contract in English. Make sure they have a good choice of properties on their books.”
Rules and regulations for expat renting will differ depending on where you live. Therefore, make sure that you understand the terms of your rental contract. for instance, outlines the important points for expat renting, including where to seek advice in case of rental disputes.
Your questions about renting answered
Visit Expatica’s Ask the expert section to ask one of our advisors for advice on expat renting in Switzerland. Common questions include, ‘How can I get my deposit back when I feel that the house was left the way that I found it?’ and ‘What happens if I need to leave before my contract has expired?’
Expatica Housing Search
Use Expatica's Housing Search tool to help you find a place to buy or rent at the right price in the right location.
We'd to have your feedback! Take part in Expatica's annual survey to win 1 of the 10 Amazon vouchers!
Note: This annual survey will take about 10 minutes and will help us improve Expatica for the coming years. You will stand a chance to win one of the ten EUR 25 Amazon vouchers, one of the five "i am not a tourist" T-shirts, and one of the twenty bike seat covers.
What many Americans don't know is that the person renting out that home pays all finder's fees, so I encourage you to visit as many realtors as you can, looking at their inventory (because typically, they just have the homes listed with their particular realty agency), plus there are sites online like Immoweb, where you can get an idea of what the rents are in your area. Keep in mind that these figures on the internet will probably end up being LOWER than what you pay, as insurance and other fees are typically not included there.
Another item of interest, is that if you would like to negotiate a security system, upgraded items or whatever in the home, get it written into your contract! We were able to negotiate with the landlord to get a day/night meter installed (and written in our contract).
I've gone step-by-step on my blog below on how to find a home for rent in Belgium at http://lifelessonsmilitarywife.blogspot.com/2010/07/pcsing-moving-to-belgium-finding.html.
What many Americans don't know is that the person renting out that home pays all finder's fees, so I encourage you to visit as many realtors as you can, looking at their inventory (because typically, they just have the homes listed with their particular realty agency), plus there are sites online like Immoweb, where you can get an idea of what the rents are in your area. Keep in mind that these figures on the internet will probably end up being LOWER than what you pay, as insurance and other fees are typically not included there.
Another item of interest, is that if you would like to negotiate a security system, upgraded items or whatever in the home, get it written into your contract! We were able to negotiate with the landlord to get a day/night meter installed (and written in our contract).
I've gone step-by-step on my blog below on how to find a home for rent in Belgium at http://lifelessonsmilitarywife.blogspot.com/2010/07/pcsing-moving-to-belgium-finding.html.
This handy guide from Expertise in Labour Mobility includes how to write a CV, application procedure, interview dos and don'ts, Belgian management culture.
Belgium’s first alternative directory assistance services - available through the shortcode 14-14 - can now be accessed on the internet.
Moving to Belgium presents a host of challenges to expats, not least of all finding the right home.
The psychological effects of global mobility can be physically painful.
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