A student lease in Wallonia is a dedicated 12-month lease for a student’s accommodation under the decree of 15 March 2018. The student can leave early with two months notice and a three-month indemnity, waived on grounds such as a refused enrolment, and can sublet to another student with the landlord’s consent.
The student lease (bail etudiant) was created by the decree of 15 March 2018 to fit the academic calendar rather than force students into a nine-year contract (logement.wallonie.be, 2018). It presumes the tenant is a student and that the property serves their studies, typically a room (kot) or small flat near a campus.
Its default duration is 12 months. The early-exit rules are the distinctive part: a student leaving before term gives two months notice and owes an indemnity equal to three months rent, but that indemnity falls away where the student can show a legitimate reason such as a refused enrolment, abandoning their studies, or the death of the person who financially supports them (uvcw.be, 2018). This safety valve reflects how unpredictable a student year can be.
Subletting is expressly allowed. A student who moves to another institution mid-year may sublet, but only to another student and with the landlord’s agreement, and the landlord can refuse the proposed subtenant only on serious grounds (logement.wallonie.be, 2018). The lease must still be registered, and if the accommodation is a small dwelling under 28 square metres or collective student housing, a rental permit is required before letting (droitsquotidiens.be, 2026).
The point owners often overlook is that the “student” character is not just a label for a cheaper contract; it triggers a specific protective regime. Try to use an ordinary nine-year lease for a kot and you lose the flexibility the student format was designed to give, while the student may still claim the protections attached to their real situation. Brussels and Flanders run their own student-lease rules, so a formula used in Louvain-la-Neuve is not automatically valid in Leuven.
At a glance
| Feature | Rule |
|---|---|
| Default duration | 12 months |
| Tenant early exit | Two months notice |
| Early-exit indemnity | Three months rent |
| Indemnity waived if | Refused enrolment, abandoning studies, death of financial supporter |
| Subletting | To another student, with landlord consent |
| Registration | Mandatory |
| Rental permit | Needed for dwellings under 28 m2 or collective student housing |