In this report, we go deeper into the results of the survey ’Student Housing in Brussels’, which ran in the autumn of 2023. This study collected the experiences of both Belgian and international students during their search for student rooms in Brussels. It gives us a better overview of the student housing situation in the vibrant capital city.
In Brussels, a melting pot of cultures, more than 37,000 students study at Dutch-speaking institutions for higher education. From external research, it appears that between a third and half of the students who study in Brussels also live in Brussels during their studies. They find homes in the many student rooms spread across the city, or join with others to rent a flat.
This report shines a light on a number of the most burning issues to do with student housing, such as rising rental prices, the difficulties of finding a student room and the major difference between Belgian and international students. We also compare the differences with the report from 2022 to map out the evolution.
Living in student housing is an important part of student life for a lot of students. This is why the results from the study for improving student housing in Brussels are crucially important.
The respondents
At which Dutch-speaking college or university in Brussels are you studying?
The Brik job students convinced 1,071 enthusiastic people to begin the survey. A few respondents turned out not to be students, or to be studying at a college or university in Flanders. As this means they were not actually studying in Brussels, they were filtered out.
1,026 respondents remained, of whom more than half studied at VUB (52,8%), followed by KU Leuven Brussels campuses (18,2%) and Odisee (16,6%). The students from EhB (4,4%) and LUCA (4,1%) were represented to a lesser extent in this study.
Are you a Belgian or an international student?
In the report following the first ‘Student Housing in Brussels’ survey in autumn 2022, we noticed that there were major differences between English-speaking and Dutch-speaking respondents. It is, however, more logical to divide the respondents into the following groups: Belgian and international. Therefore, in this report, we make a distinction between these two groups. 70% were Belgian students, and 30% international students, of which 5% were exchange students. In subsequent analyses, differentiation has always been made between Belgian and international students.
Belgian students
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) 52,8%
KU Leuven Brussels Campuses
The student housing situation for students in Brussels
The tenant
Are
you living in a student room
in Brussels?
44,8% of the Belgian respondents live in a student room or student housing in Brussels. For international respondents, this is 77,4%. 14,3% of the Belgian respondents live in Brussels with their parents/ guardians, while that figure is 12,0% for international students. A large share of the Belgian respondents does not live in Brussels (40,9%); they commute to their college or university. That figure is 11% for the international respondents. The reason most frequently given for not living in a student room is that it is too expensive.
Where in Brussels is your student room?
The largest share of respondents lives in Brussels City: 26,6% of the Belgian students and 29,2% of the international students. Elsene is also a popular area: 21,5% of the Belgian students and 24,0% of the international students found their student room or student housing here. In third place is Etterbeek, which houses 25,3% of the Belgian students and 14,6% of the international students. The proximity of a number of campuses of the Dutch-speaking institutions for higher education explain the popularity of these areas.
Belgian students International students
Brussel City (incl. Laken, Neder-OverHeembeek, Haren), (1000, 1020, 1120, 1130)
There are different types of student housing and student rooms in Brussels: a student room with shared facilities (kitchen, bedroom, toilet and/or living room), a student room with its own bathroom and a shared kitchen, or a student room with its own bathroom and kitchen (also called a studio). Some students live in a flat or house.
Of the Belgian respondents who live in student housing, 60,6% lives in a student room with shared facilities. Another 14,0% has their own bathroom, 11,1% lives in a studio and 14,3% lives in a flat or house.
Of the international respondents, 49,4% lives in a student room with shared facilities. 19,7% has a room with its own bathroom, 21,0% lives in a studio and 9,9% lives in a house or a flat.
Who pays for your student room?
third party
Student housing is paid for by the family or guardian of the majority of Belgian respondents (67,1%). In 19,0% of cases, both the student and their family or guardian contribute to the payment, while in 13,3% of cases, the respondents pay for their student housing themselves.
We see a major difference between the international respondents and the Belgian respondents. Almost 39,1% of international respondents pay for their student rooms themselves. The family or guardian pay all the costs in just 32,2% of cases, while 23,6% of international students share the bill with their family or guardian. In 4,3% of cases, it is paid by a third party (e.g. a study allowance).
The quality
What do you consider to be important for a student room?
Both Belgian and international respondents say that they think the price of the student room is very important. For the international students, a legal (student) tenancy agreement is the second-most important consideration. Belgian students also consider this to be important.
Belgian respondents then give priority to natural light and the proximity of their campus, which is comparable with the needs given by international respondents. Having a kitchen of their own, their own bathroom and an outdoor area is least important for Belgian respondents. International students share this view for the most part, but attach a lot more importance to having their own shower and toilet, as well as to the neighbourhood of their student housing.
The search
Was the search for a student room difficult?
Approximately 45% of the Belgian respondents found it easy to find a room, with 20% finding a suitable room within a week. On the other side, approximately one in five Belgian students admitted to finding it difficult to find a suitable student room. The majority found a suitable place to live within a month.
International respondents generally found it more difficult to find accommodation. Almost a quarter of them described the search as ‘very difficult’. Most international students found a suitable place to live within two months.
The price
How much would you be willing to pay for a student room?
We asked the respondents who were not in student rooms how much they would hypothetically be willing to pay for a student room. The Belgian respondents are willing to pay approximately €440 for a student room, including extra costs.
International respondents are willing to pay a little more: an average of €480, including extra costs.
How much do you pay for your student room?
The Belgian respondents in this study pay an average of €478 for a student room with shared facilities in Brussels, including extra costs. For a student room with its own bathroom, the amount rose to €630 and approximately €687 for a studio.
The international respondents pay more. The average price, including costs, for a room with shared facilities is €561. That is approximately €80 more than for Belgian students. For a room with a bathroom, the average cost for international respondents is €660, while it is €760 for a studio.
Room with shared facilities
Room with private bathroom
Average price including extra costs *
General average price for all room types
* In the 2022 ‘Student Housing in Brussels’ survey, the prices for Dutch-speaking and English-speaking respondents were calculated. For the 2023 survey, the difference between Belgian and international respondents has been reported.
Average price including extra costs
The prices reported in the current survey (2023) show an increase compared to the prices reported in the previous survey (2022). According to the health index, the inflation in August 2023 was 7.7%. Some percentages are above this and are therefore not fully explained by the inflation.
However, the increase could also be partly attributed to a late processing of the strong rises in prices for gas and electricity (and water).
Do you think the price is fair?
The majority of Belgian and international students indicated that the costs were more or less in agreement with the quality of their student rooms. They considered their rental price to be on the expensive side.
price for all room types
Extreme deviations were removed before the calculations were made. Growth in comparison with the previous survey (‘Student Housing in Brussels’ 2022) are shown as percentages.
* This price deviated in the survey results (€641, a drop of 1%). This is why the growth percentage of the studio for international students (6.14%) was multiplied with the amount for a studio for Belgian students in 2022 (€647). This worked out to €687; somewhat more realistic than €641.
** Including the prices for a full apartment/house.
Conclusion
From the results of the ‘Student Housing in Brussels’ survey, it appears that student housing in Brussels is an important issue for Belgian and international students. The report offers insights into different aspects of the student housing situation, including the search for accommodation, facilities in the student housing, financial aspects and perception of the price-quality ratio.
A notable finding is that Belgian and international students generally have the same priorities when it comes to their housing preferences. The price is the most important consideration, followed by the presence of a legal (student) tenancy agreement, natural light and the distance to the campus.
International students generally experience more difficulties in finding accommodation than Belgian students. Almost a quarter of international respondents describes the search as very difficult. On average, most international students ultimately succeed in finding suitable accommodation within two months.
The results show that Belgian and international students generally consider the prices for student rooms to be on the higher side. The difference between international and Belgian students is striking, with international students paying more on average for their accommodation.
The prices for student rooms have also increased significantly compared to the prices from the 2022 ‘Student Housing in Brussels’ survey. Then, the average prices for rooms with shared facilities were around €430 for Dutch-speaking students and €490 for respondents who filled in the survey in English. In 2023, the prices for Belgian respondents were around €480 (+10%) and €560 (+14%) for international respondents.
For more information about this survey or other information about studying in Brussels, please contact us via: www.brik.be
Brik is the contact point for students in Brussels. We help them with student housing, give out information about living in Brussels and organise tailored events. We do this in conjunction with VUB, EhB, Odisee, LUCA and KU Leuven Brussels campuses.
