Private Housing

Finding accommodation in Ghent:

We want to inform you as a student about the current state of the housing market in Ghent

Perhaps you are already aware of the housing shortage through your institution or other channels. The housing shortage affects both Belgian and international students and creates major challenges in finding suitable accommodation. International students are facing extra obstacles due to language barriers and a lack of social networks in the country.

There are several options to find a room:

1. Search online: find a room through Kotatgent

At the website of Kotatgent you can find a list of rooms that are available at the moment.

2. Search offline: look for signs stating '(studentenkamers) te huur'

If you want to look for accommodation yourself offline, you should search for signs (often orange) stating “te huur” (for rent), or signs reading “studentenkamers te huur” (student room for rent). Telephone numbers of landlords are also available. Room hunting may take at least a couple of days, but with some help from the housing officers at your host institution, you should be able to find a private room.

Students need to inspect the property, negotiate with the landlord and sign the rental agreement in person. This makes it is almost impossible for international students to arrange permanent accommodation from outside Belgium. You are therefore strongly advised to come to Ghent as early as possible and use temporary housing for the first few days.

3. Other options?

Please take into account that it won’t be easy to find a room on the private housing market for a short stay. Landlords are seldom prepared to sign a rental agreement for less than ten months. But maybe you can take part in the 'room exchange'! The housing officers of your host institution will be happy to inform you about this system. Keep in mind that not every institution participates in this programme.