“You stand in line and you just know that the couple in front of you will get priority”
“I work as a sommelier in star restaurants. I used to live in Uccle, but from March I would have to live in Brussels again for work. Together with my parents I have already visited about twenty apartments. Then you arrive and there are ten other candidates waiting at the door,” says Vincent Wynant (35).
“The average price of apartments I visit is around 1,000 euros. That’s a lot for a single person anyway. But it is simply not possible to conclude a contract. You stand in line, the agents are unfriendly, they often don’t say anything afterwards, and you just know that the couple ahead of you will get priority.”
“Cheaper apartments of around 700 or 800 euros are often shacks of 25 square meters. It’s tough because at the moment I’m sleeping with friends – I’m going from apartment to apartment. Many friends cohouse or rent something small. I don’t have a plan B yet, but I realize that time is running out. If I have nothing in March, I will have to find interim accommodation or continue to live with friends.”
“When I go to view an apartment, they have often already subtly asked about my savings. I have always provided a screenshot of my savings account, while that is actually private information. Of course I could also provide my pay slips. But dual-income households simply offer more security for owners.”
“I’m moving to Poland to gain financial breathing space”
“Half of my pension went to the rent of my apartment in Tongeren. The price had already been indexed by 150 euros in the past two years. I had to pay 875 euros a month, so there was almost nothing left over for something fun,” says Nico Gydé (61). “That is why I have terminated my rental contract and am moving to Krakow, Poland, in May. There you can rent a nice, furnished apartment for 500 euros a month.”
“In the meantime, I’m living with a friend for a while. Many retirees like me move to Spain, but give me Poland. My son lives and works there. I’ve visited a few times already, and I’ve started to love Krakow. But don’t get me wrong: I do it out of necessity, so that I have financial breathing space.”
“I was explicitly refused twice because I am single”
“After my divorce, I wanted to start a new chapter,” says Kim Doan Ngoc (36). “I have two children aged 4 and 6. I earn well, I am a decent tenant and always pay on time. Still, it took more than six months to find something.”
“I lived with my parents – not easy. I slept in one room with my two children. After a while I wanted my own place, not too far from my children’s school and with a place to store my bike. Those are not absurd demands, are they?”
“Sometimes you have to provide all your details before you can start looking at a home, and you don’t hear anything afterwards. Other times there are dozens of you queuing for a visitors’ day and you receive a standard rejection email afterwards. I have been explicitly refused twice because I am single.”
“The disappointment and frustration were great. I remember a beautiful apartment where I had a good connection with the landlord. But afterwards the message came: ‘You were a good candidate, but we opted for a couple.’”
“After a long search I finally found something. A nice home where we are happy. In Aalst, not far from my children’s school in Affligem. That was something I didn’t want to compromise on, although in such a long search it becomes tempting to settle for less.”
“Even now that I have found a place, it is not easy as a single person. The rent alone is 865 euros per month, but that doesn’t include electricity, internet, gas… The total amount is close to 1,000, just to be able to live somewhere.”
