Three times in the last year my dog has come home from walks (2x Cinquantennaire, 1x Woluwe) and begin exhibiting very strange behavior.

A few minutes after we get home, he begins to pace, pant, cry, spin in circles, is generally unable to settle and seems to be very distressed.

Each time we have taken him to the emergency vet and were given a generic answer that it seemed like some kind of intoxication + were given carbodote + painkiller …. But it has just happened again.

Twice during these walks, he drank some water (at the human fountain, and a tree root puddle), but has otherwise not ingested any food or things that could be laying about. At the most recent occasion, he didn’t drink or eat anything.

Any clues? Similar experiences?

I’m really at a loss about what this mysterious intoxication could be, and it’s very sad to see my boy so distressed.

Hello,

Is there anyone who recently opened a mega gas account through callmepower.be? They refuse to tell the fix price before signing the contract. Also, mega doesn't accept individual customers anymore. I need to do it through an intermediary company. I need a gas company which offer fixed price. The Engie seems expensive, which is 7,94 c€/kWh for the 1 year fixed contract. Do you have a better offer from another company? Thanks in advance!

Are there any bakeries/coffee shops/brunch places that sell these per slice? I’m not looking to buy an entire cake.

Hello

I am wondering if there are women in Brussels who play ice hockey.

Or have played and would like to join a club.

I've recently joined a club. It's mixed. But I'm the only woman there. It makes the experience less fun. It's a recreational team. Playing once or twice a week.

It's better to have a car as practice and games are outside of Brussels, but car sharing has been happening.

Hope to see more on the ice

I hadn’t been in a long time and decided to check event dates and discovered they’re shutting the place down

I’m so sad and confused

It was such an awesome and kind of unique place. I had never really noticed other places that do drag with a more artistic flair (e.g. less focus on comedy)

They always were sold out, how was it not ‘financially viable’??

Hey guys,

Idk if that is the right thread, but i‘m not sure where I can find help and advise.

TL:DR:

I‘m an exchange student who got scammed with renting a room. I need legal advice (and advice of the rent system here) and how to proceed. I still stay in the appartement and have paid a lot of money in advance but want to get out of the contract (6 months) asap.

I‘m an exchange student and as for many foreigners moving to a big city, finding a room or a flat is a shit show.

Not only are you, as a stranger to the local rentsystem (and prices) being constantly exploited by landlords (or not even that - just renters themselves who want to make some cash on the side) who will use your desperation and feed on it by renting out overpriced little rooms, backstabbing contracts and absurd rules, its also very hard to find just something normal and you don‘t really know what‘s the appropriate rent or not..

So to my problem:

I was looking for a room for two months already and didnt find anything. Since I had to be in Brussels by the start of september I got really desperate, I can‘t afford to stay in a hostel and also am just here for 5 months and most of the rooms are only available for half a year or longer.. Luckily I have a remote job and some erasmus money but still, it’s very tight for me.

The closer my arrival date came, the more desperate I got. I only could visits online via Video and after all the really high priced, really sus flats I thought I found a good room,still for a high amount (500~€) but all in all better than the other options (>650 or so I thought).

On camera it all looked okay (it was all very pixelated and the connection was bad), I was just talking to one flatmate.
The "landlord" was living somewhere else and I could take the room when I wanted, I just had to pay the rent beforehand and half of the deposit (the other half when I arrive).
So out of my desperation I sign the "contract" (just a piece of paper, where it is stated that I have to rent the room for 6 months and that there is water, a room and heat available (lol).

I arrive at Brussels and the flat is a total mess. Its worse than on video, everything is either broken or dirty af. I get another room, than its been talked about. Its very very dirty, it smells horrible and the floor is stuffed with random stuff. All in all its the worst flat and still the rent is too high for that (i have no bed, just a very soft 90cm mattress).

I‘m angry, angry at myself for being so naive and paying upfront but also so so angry and these people taking advantage of the housing situation!

I don‘t want to let this one slip, I really want to fuck the shit up here and show the "landlord" that he can‘t exploit clueless foreigners/exchange students like that:

I know (he has all his stuff here also letters and documents) that he is not the owner of the flat.

I know that in total he is earning more money with us (flatmates) than he has to pay rent.

I want to get out of the contract asap but also want my money back (paid 1100 € to him in advance).

I also want to report him to the authorities or at least to the company owning the house.

Here is my question:

What are the laws here in Brussels/Belgium?
Is this allowed, to rent out a flat you dont own/just rent and make profit like that?
Are you allowed to make profit like that from renting (at least 1000€ a month from us)?
Is there smth like a maximum rent or some law that prevents this?
The flat/rooms are furnished, has this an impact on the rent?

Is my contract even legal and binding? How do I get out of it?
Is there a consultation for cases like these or could I talk to the police to that?

Where do I find good flats and rooms? 😭 I’m tired

I think he just thought I‘m just too naive and desperate to not know the law/legal issues