Coliving in Bruxelles: How to choose the right house for you?

Whether  you are new to Brussels or looking for a fresh start, coliving is a great option.  But in Brussels, the coliving options are dizzying and often times overwhelming. It is therefore really important for residents to be very clear about what exactly they should look for when choosing their future home.  Once you have checked on the usual criteria of location, price and lease terms, we have established a checklist we recommend for choosing your room wisely.

1. Housemate Check

Maybe you are new to Brussels, or have come out of a relationship and want to make new friends, people choose coliving for a variety of reasons but they all want to get along with their housemates.  Be skeptical of a house that lets you sign up online without getting to know you. If you are a professional maybe you don’t want to live with students who have a different schedule to your own. If your future House Manager isn’t asking you about yourself – how can they know if you’ll get along with your future housemates? Also check for languages. If you only speak English and German, you might feel a little left out in a house full of French speakers.

Tip: Ask what length of time most residents have been living at the house, high turnover is a red flag and disrupts community bonds.

2. Cleaning and maintenance

Most coliving homes outsource the cleaning and it isn’t done by the residents. If you are the one who ends up cleaning the piles of dirty dishes left in the sink and it makes you grumpy, choose a house with a frequent cleaning service eg twice a week for groups larger than 5.

Tip: find out if there is a fixed maintenance and cleaning team for your house and how long they have worked there 

3. Couples and Visitors to your future Coliving in Bruxelles  

If you are coming with your partner, there are limited coliving options. Morton Place Horta is dedicated to couples and senior hires. Our guest room for visitors is also popular. Check the rules and what the policy is if your partner will be visiting frequently but not living with you full time.

 

Tip: check the guest and visitor policy of your future coliving

4. The Kitchen

Often the most well used part of the house, so how many people do you share a refrigerator with? How about the freezer? The dishwasher? Do you have a clear, private space to keep your food? If you like to bake, is there an oven, what does it look like inside? At Morton Place we clean the common areas twice a week by the same cleaning crew for many years.

Tip: if you see residents having to lock up their food or storing it in their bedrooms this isn’t a good sign of trust between the housemates.

5. The Room

Other than the general look and feel – what should you look for in your room? Does your bedroom have a secure lock which you alone can open? What is the bathroom situation? You might find some “bathrooms” are nothing more than a sink and a shower partitioned off in a corner of your room where the steam fills up your bedroom, and the toilet is down the hall and shared with other housemates. A Morton Place our houses are purpose built, so our bathrooms are fully equipped and ensuite, no sharing.

Tip: check the closet space and if you have more clothes than can fit, ask about secure storage options.

6. The tour

Pre recorded online visits are great for figuring out the layout of a house but after a few years a house can look tired. If you can’t visit your future residence in person, ask for a live video tour. This allows you to witness whether the house is as advertised and see the house in its lived in state.  Check the garbage situation, the sink situation, the messages on the blackboard. All will give you a feel for the life being lived in the house right now. At Morton Place we invest a lot of time and effort in taking pictures each bedroom so future residents have a good idea of what to expect when they walk through the door. In fact one of the most often repeated phrases by visitors is “wow – it looks just like on the website”.

Tip: If you don’t choose to rent from an established coliving company, be doubly careful, we have heard our share of horror stories of online fraud. When in doubt, don’t send your money.

Relax and have fun!

Coliving in Brussels is a terrific way to make life long friends during your time here. Give yourself a few weeks to settle into the routine of your new house.  Investing time in making sure you have made the right choice at the outset will save you a lot of hassle from having to move from a substandard room to a better, more comfortable housing option.