What to do with my student accommodation in Antwerp?

Can I terminate my rental agreement early?

The Flemish housing rental decree doesn’t stipulate any regulations for a situation such as the current corona crisis as this is a very rare situation. Neither has the government taken specific measures for student accommodation in the context of the corona crisis.

This means that you can’t terminate your rental agreement early because of the corona crisis.

The only legal ground for terminating your contract is stopping your studies at your university or college in Belgium. For you this means ending your Erasmus exchange.
In this case you have to provide your landlord with a proof of deregistration which you can request at the student administration office of your campus. Send a letter by registered mail to your landlord to let him/her know your intention to terminate the contract early, including the proof of deregistration.
The termination is subject to a two-month notice period, which starts on the first day of the calendar month after the month in which you gave notice. This means you can stop paying the rent from June onwards if you give your notice before 1 April 2020.

In all other cases you will have to pay the rent for the full length of the contract.
Of course you can always try to negotiate with your landlord and try to come to a settlement. Maybe s/he is willing to drop or lower the costs as you don’t consume any energy or water when you are not in the student room.

Some extra tips:

• Communicate your situation with your landlord openly and clearly. Don’t just stop paying the rent. Bear in mind that your landlord is also a victim of this situation just like you.
• If you come to a settlement with your landlord make sure to have it on paper.
• In case you decide to terminate you rental agreement leave your room tidy and cleaned. Don’t leave any personal belongings. If it’s not possible to do so as you already left the country thinking you would come back, try to come to an arrangement with the landlord about that.
• Normally both parties meet at the end of the rental period to draw up a final delivery report in which any damage is recorded . At this moment this is not recommended because of the quarantine measures currently in place. Instead, we advise you to take as many detailed photos of your room as possible before your departure to avoid later discussions about damage as much as possible.

Need help?

If you want us to contact your landlord for you or if you have any other specific question please send an email explaining your situation and including your rental agreement as a pdf to your contactperson in Antwerp.