Housing

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Essentials

Expat Rentals

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.

Unless your company provides expat apartments, or you can find something through friends, it is advisable to go through a reliable rental agency.

What a good...

Expat Rentals

What a good rental agent should know

As Expatica article ‘Renting a home in the Netherlands’ 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 expat rental contract. The Expatica article ‘Finding a rental home in Belgium’, for instance, outlines the important points for expat renting, including how to deal with damages and repairs. Similarly, ‘Rules for renting a home in Spain’ gives advice on Spanish rental contracts.

Your questions about renting answered

Visit Expatica’s Ask the expert section to ask one of our advisors for advice on expat renting in Spain, France, Switzerland, UK, Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. 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

For the latest expat rental offers in your new country of residence, check out Expatica Housing, an online marketplace for real estate and expat rental agencies that specialise in serving internationals. Expatica Housing covers Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.

Finding a house or apartment to rent in is not easy in the densely populated Netherlands. Here's our guide to renting accommodation.

01/02/2012 Housing in Belgium: Know the basics

Here is an introduction on what to expect when moving to Belgium and deciding what to do with renting a home in Brussels, buying a home in Ghent, and everything in between.

31/01/2012 Editor's Guide: Renting a home in France

Here's a short introduction to our renting a house or an apartment section for France, from how to set up utilities to where to live in Paris and moving to France.

11/01/2012 Renting a home in Germany

Here is a brief introduction to renting accommodation in Germany.

Visit our country sites

Renting

Expat Rentals

What a good...

Expat Rentals

What a good rental agent should know

Your questions about renting answered

Expatica housing search

Renting - Essential Articles

07/02/2012 Renting a home in the Netherlands

01/02/2012 Housing in Belgium: Know the basics

31/01/2012 Editor's Guide: Renting a home in France

11/01/2012 Renting a home in Germany