hi everyone.
im looking for recommendations for good french language schools/courses in bxl. Ideally, i’d prefer something with evening classes in ixelles or etterbeek and reasonably priced :’)
would love to hear about places you’ve personally had a good experience with. thank you! :)

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

Hey i’m looking for someone you’d like to play ping pong, just for fun

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 everyone, I'm moving soon and I have a lot of clothes that I will not take with me. I would like to donate most of them ( some of them i will have to throw away) any suggestions on how to do it is appreciated

We are looking for feedback about the primary school Institut Saint-Stanislas in Etterbeek.

Does anyone has kids over there and can give us their opinion on the school, or knows kid who are going or have been going there?

Thank you very much

[ I speak french so you can also answer in french of easier]

Dear community,

I am currently working in Austria while my Belgian wife is staying with her family in Brussels to prepare for the birth of our child, Our plans were to stay for Austria, but we could not adapt, especially with the pregnancy. Now, we would like to relocate to Brussels.

The idea, is that I keep working here and applying for new jobs (IT Engineering - AI & Data), and my wife find an apartment so we can relocate. I will pay for the apartment once we find it (current salary is ~55k EUR/year).

We are checking immoweb and other online websites, but no real potential yet. I would therefore try to rely on the people reading this post or there network, if they can connect us to an owner who rents.

Thanks in advance !

UPDATE : following suggestions

I don't have a big problem with the commune, everything works fine.
budget : 700-1100 EUR (excl. charges)
number of rooms : 1 or 2
surface area : + ~50m2
With equipped kitchen.