Temporary housing for employees in Belgium comes down to four options: a hotel, an aparthotel, a furnished mid-term apartment or a standard lease. Each one fits a different length of stay, a different team size and a different amount of work for the company. This guide is for HR, mobility and project managers who need to house one employee or a whole team in Brussels, Antwerp or Ghent, and want to choose the right option before the first booking rather than after the second extension.
A hotel suits stays of days, a lease suits stays of years, and most corporate assignments fall somewhere in between.
Hotel. Booked per night, cleaned daily, nothing to set up. It works for short trips and for people who travel every week. For a stay of several weeks, a single room without a kitchen becomes the main complaint.
Aparthotel or serviced apartment. A hotel-style building with small apartments, reception and regular cleaning. A step up in space, usually priced per night or per week, and often the answer for stays of two to four weeks.
Furnished mid-term apartment. A complete apartment rented for a fixed period, typically one to eleven months, with furniture, kitchen and utilities already in place. The employee lives in a normal residential building rather than a hotel.
Standard lease. A Belgian residential lease, usually unfurnished. A main-residence lease runs nine years by default, and a short-term lease can run up to three years. It is the right tool for people who are settling, not for assignments.
The table below shows how the four options differ on the points companies ask about most.
Hotel | Aparthotel | Furnished mid-term apartment | Standard lease | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Typical length | Nights to 2 weeks | 1 to 4 weeks | 1 to 11 months | 1 year and longer |
How it is priced | Per night | Per night or week | Per month | Per month, plus utilities |
Kitchen and living space | Rarely | Small kitchen | Full kitchen, separate living area | Full, but usually unfurnished |
Utilities and energy | Included | Included | Often included, check for caps | Contracts in the tenant's name |
Set-up work for the company | None | None | Minimal | Furniture, energy contracts, deposit |
Housing a team together | Several rooms | Several units | Several apartments or a house | Rarely practical |
Changing the occupant | New booking | New booking | Depends on the provider | Not designed for it |
For a stay of a month or more, the furnished apartment is usually the option that gives the employee a normal home and the company a single monthly price.
The length of the assignment is the first filter, because it rules options out before anything else does.
Under two weeks: a hotel. Nothing else is worth the paperwork.
Two to four weeks: an aparthotel, or a furnished apartment with a one-month minimum if the dates may slip.
One to eleven months: a furnished mid-term apartment. This is the range it was designed for.
Twelve months or more, or an open-ended move with family: a standard lease is worth the set-up effort.
If the end date is uncertain, choose the option that is easiest to extend. A contract that can be extended by email saves a second search, and a second move, when the project runs longer than planned.
The number of people changes the question from "which apartment" to "which mix of properties".
One person. One apartment close to the workplace or to a direct train or tram line.
Two to five people. Either one house with individual rooms or a few apartments in the same area. A house keeps the team together; separate apartments give more privacy.
Six to fifty people. A mix of houses and apartments in one or two neighbourhoods, close enough for shared transport. A single building for a large team is rarely available near industrial sites.
For crews arriving with vans or cars, parking matters as much as the number of beds. More detail on team set-ups: housing a project team in Belgium.
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Each of the three cities has its own demand pattern, and the best location depends on where the employee actually works.
Brussels. EU institutions, diplomatic missions, consultancies and sports clubs. The European quarter, Ixelles and the Woluwes cover most placements, and teams with vehicles often do better just outside the city. See temporary apartments in Brussels and the Brussels guide for HR teams.
Antwerp. The port, logistics, petrochemicals and the diamond district. Commute time to the port area is the deciding factor for engineering and contractor teams. See apartments for rent in Antwerp and furnished apartments near the Port of Antwerp.
Ghent. The canal zone industry, the university and biotech, within reach of both Brussels and Antwerp. See furnished apartments in Ghent and the Ghent guide for HR teams.
A standard lease is the better answer for international workers who stay longer than a year and want to settle. It costs less per month over a long period, but it asks more at the start.
The employee or company has to furnish the home, open energy and internet contracts, arrange the deposit and plan the exit. A main-residence lease that ends early in its first three years also carries an indemnity. For a posting of several months, that set-up often takes longer than it is worth. The full comparison is in our guide to mid-term rental vs a standard lease in Belgium.
A common pattern is to start in a furnished apartment and sign a lease later, once the employee knows the city and the assignment is confirmed.
The questions below separate providers that fit corporate stays from those that do not.
What exactly is included in the monthly price, and is energy capped?
What are the minimum and maximum contract lengths?
How is an extension arranged, and how much notice do you need?
Can the occupant change during the contract if the employee is replaced?
Can the employee register their address at the commune?
Which documents do you need from the employee and from the company?
How soon after signing can the employee move in?
Is cleaning included, and how often?
Is there parking, and what does it cost?
What are the house rules, and what happens if they are broken?
Ask for the answers in writing. A clear answer to question 1 prevents most disputes later.
Globexs offers flexible accommodation for companies: furnished apartments and houses in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent, rented for one to eleven months at an all-in monthly price.
Price: from EUR 1,300 per month in Antwerp and from EUR 1,500 in Brussels and Ghent. Houses for teams near Brussels start from EUR 2,950. All-in, with energy included and no cap in euros.
Length: one to eleven months, extended with a single email.
Teams: from 1 to 50 people, in apartments, houses or a mix.
Move-in: the same day or the day after the contract is signed and the instant transfer arrives.
Paperwork: only an identity document from the occupant. No proof of income, employer letter, guarantor or Belgian bank account.
Replacing an employee: the same contract continues with an addendum for the new occupant.
Registered address: possible when the owner agrees. Send a written request to your rental agent, we ask the owner and confirm the answer. The price, contract and deposit stay the same.
Cleaning: included every two weeks in selected apartments.
Parking: shown in each listing, as a private space at extra cost (usually around EUR 100 per month) or on the street.
Globexs has rented furnished apartments in Antwerp since 2009 and today lists 135 furnished properties in Belgium, with an average stay of 5.3 months. For the full company offer, see corporate housing across Belgium.
September is the busiest month, as many new projects start after the summer holidays. If your assignment begins in the autumn, send the request early.
It is accommodation a company arranges for an employee for the length of an assignment, from a few nights to several months. In Belgium the main options are hotels, aparthotels, furnished mid-term apartments and standard leases.
From about one month onwards. The employee gets a kitchen, a living area and a normal home, and the company pays one monthly price instead of a nightly rate.
One month. Contracts run from one to eleven months and can be extended with a single email.
Yes. The company can be the contracting party. The employee only needs an identity document and does not need a Belgian bank account.
From 1 to 50 people, in apartments, houses or a combination, in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent.
The same day or the day after the contract is signed and the payment arrives by instant transfer, subject to availability.
The contract continues. An addendum changes the name of the occupant, so the apartment stays booked for the project.
Often, per month, for stays well beyond a year. It also means furnishing the home, opening utility contracts and a nine-year default term, so for assignments under twelve months a furnished apartment is usually simpler.
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Globexs has provided furnished housing for companies and their staff since 2002. It was founded in Antwerp by Belgian entrepreneur Lodewijk Cuypers and today lists 135 furnished properties in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent.
