During the recent years, Mechelen has become a popular destination for (international) students and the ‘housing market’ is under pressure, certainly in the first semester. That's why we cannot guarantee you that you will be able to find housing in Mechelen and that you will have to look for housing somewhere else. Below you will read other possibilities to look for housing, besides our own databank.
If you are looking for accommodation in Mechelen, you can use the database and put the search date :
If you look through other housing websites you might encounter internet fraud.
Other housing possibilities for Mechelen (studenthouses) not uploaded in the database :
Landlords give preference to long term contracts (minimum 10 months). This is a question of supply and demand. When the academical year has started, landlords will be more willing to make a contract for only 1 semester if they still have rooms available.
The sooner you start your search for a room, the more options you have in finding what you want. Bear in mind that the cheapest rooms are taken very quickly.
Also take a look on the other Thomas More campuses/cities whether there are rooms available.
As a student (-26 years) you can obtain a discount on your train tickets. As soon as you have received a proof of registration of Thomas More, you can purchase this season ticket at the railway station.
Please check the timetables
You can also book a room for some days in an hotel/hostel and then start looking for a room in Mechelen or other cities as soon as you've arrived (there is no youth hostel in Mechelen).
There are youth hostels or guesthouses in surrounding cities though, such as Leuven, Antwerp, Brussels and Lier.
More possibilities:
Students can sublet their room when going on an exchange or doing an internship. The offer is very limited during Fall Semester. In Spring semester, the offer is bigger. Rooms offered for sublet will be put as “available” in the database. Contact details of the student and information of the room can be found in the database.
Only students who can submit an official enrollment document of Thomas More will be accepted by landlords in student housing. Non-students fall under the regular registration laws. So if you are planning to move to Mechelen with your family, then you will have to look for accommodation on the private housing market at online platforms and real estate agencies. But be aware that rent prices of apartments/studio’s are much higher than on the student housing market and that these apartments are not furnished.
Online platforms: Immoweb | Immoscoop | Zimmo (only in Dutch or French)
There are two types of rental contracts in Belgium: