Moving to Leuven

Looking for a student room can be a tedious matter. We would like to provide some information that should ease the process of finding proper accommodation. We give you an overview of the type of accommodation, the price and how to find an accommodation.

In Belgium (in the Belgian regions of Flanders and Wallonia), the Belgian word for a student room is 'kot'. Originally, it referred to a small storage room in a house.
In the Netherlands they call it a 'studentenkamer' and in France a 'chambre d'étudiant'. They both literally mean student room.

Types of accommodation

Private House

This is a bedroom in a house with multiple bedrooms where you share the common rooms such as bathroom, living room, kitchen, ... with the other tenants. Most Belgian students live in this type of accommodation.

Residence

This kind of housing consists of a building with multiple floors with a hallway. On every hallway you have a row of bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. The more expensive residences have bedrooms with their own sanitary facilities. Many of these are managed by KUL, as well as private companies.

Private apartment/studio

Renting an apartment/studio is the most expensive option probably. You don't pay a fixed price like with a student room. Your housing cost is determined by the fixed price of the rent, insurance and the variable costs of water and electricity usage.

Co-housing

You live with other students or work people in this kind of setting. Unlike the other options you have to manage and divide the cost of the rent with the other tenants of the house. This kind of housing can be interesting if you would like to live in a more spacious environment for a reasonable price, but it takes more responsibility and effort to find a proper arrangement.

Pricing

For most rooms you have to pay a monthly all included price. There are some student rooms (usually in a private house) that you have to pay a fixed rate for the rent and a variable rate for water and electricity depending on your usage.
The price will be determined by the space and the location of the accommodation. Accommodation within the ring tend to be more expensive than the ones outside the ring.

Prices for a student room (in a residence/private house) range from 350 to 800 euros. If you are looking for a room with sanitary, then you probably have to look into the price range above 500 euros.

For a small apartment or studio, the price will start around 600 euros.

Co-housing prices can be very diverse. You can find arrangements that are similar to normal student rooms, but also ones that come close to the price of an apartment.

How to find accommodation

Kotwijs - the official tool of KUL

Kotwijs is an search online tool of the housing service of the KU Leuven that offers rooms that are verified.
On the website of the KU Leuven, you can also find some information about student housing in Leuven.

Facebook - groups specifically for students looking for housing.

When looking at rooms on Facebook you have to be cautious for scams. If you are considering taking a room of a private person make sure to visit the room first.

Attention!

When searching for accommodation, it's crucial that you follow some basic rules:

NEVER make a prepayment to a private person before having seen the room and met the person - there are scams out there!
When in doubt ask a local about the address - you can find lots resources here or send us an email at info@esnleuven.be.
Compare, compare, compare. Some rooms are overpriced, so don't go with the first thing you see...