It's only a month since we've arrived here and it seems like 6 have passed. Maybe because of all the changes. We had 2 very busy weeks at the beginning looking for a place to rent. And the "nice cozy apartment just sitting there and waiting for you" market in Brussels is not as we expected.
The first place to look is, of course, the Internet, and the most popular site is immoweb.be. At first you get very excited seeing all the results, but then you realize that you don't know what neighborhood to choose, what price range is realistic or what to expect from the pictures you see.
The second way to embrace the problem is just to walk on the streets and look for A LOUER signs, as they are everywhere and they all look orange-ish, so they're easy to notice. The advantage in finding yourself something in the street is that theoretically the price can be cheaper, compared to those run by agencies (we've been there too). Theoretically.
Finding an apartment is a job itself. We used to wake up, dress up nicely (to make a good impression), make some phone calls to establish visits and hit the road. Not without the GPS, a very useful tool here. Except the short lunch break, the whole day meant sitting in the car talking on the phone or visiting all kinds of apartments. Few learnings and highlights:
- if in the review it's written 6 rooms, that means they also counted the 4 square meters storage rooms, the bathroom and the small balcony.
- terrace mostly means very very small balcony
- if you're working at the European Commission or Parliament you're the perfect applicant. But also if you have a job as a housekeeper. Any job will do, as long as you have a contract. Young nice couple with consistent bank account and big dreams are just...fishy. And if they are Romanians it's even worse.
- this overprotective attitude is because the contracts are usually signed on 3 and even 9 years, and once signed it's very hard to kick somebody out, even if they didn't pay. It can take up to 2 years :))
- if you have signed a 3/9 years contract and want to leave earlier you have to 1. find someone to replace you (which means putting an ad, getting visits) 2. pay 3, 2, 1 months rent as a leaving early fee, depends what year you're leaving. We met some desperate students who almost harassed us to take their apartment, as they had to leave earlier
- usually the rent prices don't include the monthly charges (gas, electricity etc) and strangely, the sum each landlord asks for the charges is different. from 25 euros to 250 euros.
- I can't make a landlord profile in Brussels, but we met Chinese, Serbian, very rich very old lady, French extremist married to a 30 years younger Kyrgyzstanese, broker, very fit and scary sailor or very bourgeois and annoying french speaking ladies (these are the worst :)
- sometimes it can happen to be asked for money to get on the waiting list (200 euros!). we think it was a scam, made by a fake agent, otherwise I can't explain.
- the best time to find an apartment in Brussels is August or September, before the "season" starts, or June, when students leave. Late October is already late, as all the good ones are taken and what's left can be expensive.
- budget? If working at the Commission you don't care so skip this bullet. If you don't, then count around 500 for a studio (that means only one room) and between 550-750 for a decent 1 bedroom (living room is usually together with kitchen) - usually unfurnished. If you want more space, get an agency, you can afford it :)
All in all it wasn't easy, but still ok compared to other capitals so I heard. Paris is a nightmare - small dirty expensive spaces - and Luxembourg is very picky - you apply among many others and hope that your resume fits the landlord's dream profile.
