Private residence accommodations: tips for future tenants

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Some very important points before renting a property

Communication

• It's best to communicate in writing / by e-mail. This will provide you with a legally valid record in the event of a dispute

Lease

• Be sure to read the lease contract and its duration (10 months, 12 months)
• Never sign a document without having read it in full, or better still, if possible, having submitted it to a competent person (for example, Infor-Logement, a service of Centre J, located at Rue Louvrex, 95, 4000 Liège. Tel: +32 (0)4 223 00 00).
• Ask your landlord to add a clause in case of breach of contract during the year.
• Specific rules apply to student leases. Tenants must prove their status as students in certain ways and within certain deadlines. In principle, student leases are for one year. The tenant may terminate the lease at any time up to March 15, subject to two months' notice and, with certain exceptions, payment of compensation equivalent to three months' rent.
• Different types of leases
  • Common law student lease (I am not domiciled in this accommodation)
  • Main residence student lease (I live in this accommodation)
  • A shared lease. Shared tenancy refers to the rental of a property by several tenants (co-tenants), through the conclusion of a single contract between all tenants and the landlord.

Charges

• Service charges mainly coverwater,electricity and heating consumption
• There are 3 ways to pay service charges
  • The amount is fixed and included in the rent, so there's nothing to do but pay it.
  • The landlord asks for a fixed advance on consumption. Be careful, this provision is an estimate of actual consumption! There is an adjustment at the end of the contract, so you can have both good and bad surprises... The landlord is obliged to show you the bills, and is often happy to do so.
  • There are separate meters for water, gas and electricity. You'll need to take out your own subscriptions with the various distribution companies. You can then monitor your consumption, but this also requires a certain discipline (turning off lights, paying bills on time...).

Rental guarantee

• Check the conditions associated with the rental guarantee deposit.
• We recommend that you pay the rental deposit into a bank account and keep proof of payment. If not, you should request a receipt from the landlord (this must include the name of the landlord, the duration of the lease, the address of the accommodation concerned, the amount of the guarantee and must be dated and signed by the landlord); you should also contact the CentreJ, the City of Liège's Information Center for Young People, located at Rue Louvrex, 95, 4000 Liège (Tel: +3242230000 Mail: centrej@liege.be). The J center will answer any questions you may have about your lease contract, as will the ASBL Consulex ULiège(to benefit from the free service, stipulate that you are a ULiège student).

Inventory of fixtures

• Pay attention to the general condition of the premises and the presence of safety equipment (traces of humidity, lighting, smoke detectors, etc.)
• Ask for guarantees on the conformity of certain heating appliances, gas water heaters, etc. (See recommendations concerning carbon monoxide).

Students looking to sublet their kot

Students looking to re-let their kot for a period of the year, for an Erasmus trip for example, can inform the Housing department so that we can put them in touch with a new applicant. There are lots of students looking for accommodation!

The ULiège housing database

The University of Liège Housing Service maintains a database of private accommodation in Liège. This database can be consulted online.

New listings arrive gradually between May and September.

Consult this database regularly, as offers are temporary.

Consult the ULiège housing database

Published ads often indicate a 12-month rental period. However, housing may still be available during the academic year. In this case, it's quite possible that the owner will accept a short rental period, until the end of June for example.