Student lease

A student lease is a lease signed by or for a student during their studies. Each region has its own rules. In Wallonia (decree of 15 March 2018), it lasts one year unless the parties agree on less, and it is extended by a year if the student stays on without the landlord objecting. The student can leave at any time with two months' notice, but not after 15 March, and then owes three months' rent as compensation. No compensation is due if they prove a refused enrolment or that they dropped out, if they transfer the lease to a replacement the landlord accepts, or if a parent who supported them dies. The deposit is capped at two months' rent. In Brussels, the student lease rules apply if both parties choose them, and the lease lasts twelve months at most. The student can leave at any time with two months' notice, except for leases of three months or less. In Flanders (decree of 9 November 2018), the student can only end the lease in certain cases: before it starts, when their studies end, or if a parent who supported them dies, with two months' notice. The deposit there is also capped at two months' rent. In university towns such as Louvain-la-Neuve, Namur, Liege, Ghent or Leuven, this type of rental attracts many investors.