Accommodation

kot UCL

A significant challenge when organizing a student exchange stay can be the accommodation and Belgium is no exception to the rule. However on each UCLouvain campus, you will find a large range of housing offers, adapted to earch student's needs and wishes. We will guide you among them.
You will first need to distinguish very clearly your enrolment process at UCLouvain from your accommodation booking process. Indeed, as soon as you have received confirmation from the UCLouvain Faculty / School that you are admitted as a future regular student, double-degree or as an exchange student, you will need to immediately start your application process to book your accommodation.

General information

3 types of accommodations are available:
• UCLouvain Housing
• Real estate agents’ housing
• Private owners

1. UCLouvain Housing

Booking

All the necessary information for this application process at UCLouvain can be found at the UCLouvain Accommodation Office

All students who are or will be enrolled at UCLouvain are eligible for student accommodation managed by UCLouvain. The UCLouvain Accommodation Office manages the accommodation requests on a "first come first serve" basis. In order to book your UCLouvain accommodation, please go to UCLouvain housing online Request Form. Important: Please complete only one application and make sure you write your full surname (exactly the same as that shown on your identity papers).

This should be done by :

30 May, if you will be studying at UCLouvain during the first semester only or if you are staying the whole academic year (September - January or September - June)
30 November, if you will be studying at UCLouvain during the second semester only (February - June) .

Contact at UCLouvain Accommodation office for international students at EPL : inforlogementlln. If student housing is available at the time of your request, your accommodation request will be considered as a provisional reservation. This reservation will become final once the Student Office has registered your enrolment. You will then receive a confirmation of your reservation by post or by e-mail.

Lease and rent

A lease for the full academic year is usually concluded from 15 September to 14 July (10 months). There is a possibility of leasing during holidays.
A lease for the first semester only will end on 31 January and a lease for the second semester will start on 01 February.
The rent (charges included, excluding internet connection) ranges from € 290 to € 380 per month. In addition you will have to pay a € 150 deposit when you sign your lease.

Types of accommodation

Booking a room in a "kot à projet"
The "kots à projets" are a unique formula of social student life, invented by UCLouvain! Between six and twelve students live together in a shared flat (private bedroom, shared kitchen, bathroom and toilets), and work together on a project of social, cultural or humanitarian dimension for the duration of an academic year. To give just a few examples of projects: raising public awareness of the environment, health, or of the problems faced by developing countries; general services to the community; the organisation of an exhibition or a music concert; a project on the language or the culture of a given country; assistance for students with special needs, ... just name it! There are over 120 kots à projets, or KAP's, as they are also called.
Some of these kots à projet have reserved one of their rooms especially for an exchange student. Living in a kot à projet is a wonderful way to work on interesting projects, develop transferrable skills, get to know the Belgians and Belgian culture from the inside and improve your French.
The number of rooms available in kots à projets is limited. International students who would like to be part of a kot à projet should contact the UCLouvain Accommodation Office. The University actively supports the kots-à-projets through an attractive rent for the participants and by funding some of their activities.

Booking a room in a shared flat
Renting a room in a shared flat ('kot') is probably the more classical option to find accommodation. Shared flats are composed of 3 up to 12 private bedrooms with a shared kitchen, bathroom and toilets. The shared flats can be either mixed or house exclusively female or male students. Attention, the number of rooms in shared flats is also limited.

Practically speaking: your arrival
If a UCLouvain accommodation has been booked for you and you have received a confirmation, you must plan your arrival in Louvain-la-Neuve from Monday to Friday between 10:00 am-and 2.00 pm. This way you will have the time to visit your room, sign the lease and pick up your keys. Note: If there should be no more University accommodation available at the time of your request, you will be put on a waiting list that is maintained until 31 August (first semester) or 14 January (second semester).

2. Estate agents and other channels of housing

You will find also in Louvain-la-Neuve several real estate agencies and a few public organisations offering you alternative solutions.

3. Private owners

Quite a few private owners let rooms, studios and apartments in Louvain-la-Neuve and the neighbouring towns. A list of accommodation proposed by private owners is available on the web site of the Accommodation Office. If you wish to rent accommodation this way, you will have to contact the owner by phone or e-mail, and come to an agreement with them directly.

For accommodation outside UCLouvain, you can also consult the following links :

Please note: If you decide to rent accommodation from a private owner, it is important to ask the owner to look at the rental permit and check that it is valid.

BEWARE OF SCAMS! Do not pay money into an account that is not a Belgian bank account (Belgian bank accounts ALWAYS start with "BE" - e.g. BExx xxxx xxxx xxxx). Do not communicate on WhatsApp with non-Belgian telephone numbers (Belgian numbers ALWAYS start with +32). The amount of the rental guarantee is equivalent to a maximum of two months' rent.
If you have any doubts, don't hesitate to contact your mobility coordinator.