Most newcomers discover the problem in their first week: the landlord wants a Belgian bank account, recent Belgian payslips and a deposit in a blocked account, and you have none of these because you only just arrived. This guide explains why Belgian landlords ask for these documents, why a newcomer cannot produce them yet, and how to rent an apartment in Belgium without a bank account, a local payslip or a guarantor.
A standard Belgian landlord or agency asks for four things: your ID, proof that your income covers the rent, a rental deposit, and a way to pay rent every month, usually from a Belgian account.
Requirement | Why the landlord asks | Why a newcomer struggles |
|---|---|---|
Passport or ID card | Identifies the tenant on the lease | No problem |
Income of about 3 times the rent | Shows you can pay rent and charges | No Belgian payslips yet; foreign payslips are often not accepted |
Employment contract or payslips | Proves the income is stable | Contract may be foreign, or the job starts after arrival |
Rental deposit | Covers damage and unpaid rent | Normally held in a blocked account in the tenant's name at a Belgian bank |
Guarantor | Extra security if income is uncertain | Nobody in Belgium to sign |
Belgian bank account | Monthly transfer or direct debit | Banks ask for proof of a Belgian address first |
The income test is a market practice, not a legal obligation, but it is now backed by case law. In April 2026 the Council of State confirmed that a landlord may require an income of at least 3 times the monthly rent, in a case brought against the Brussels Region.
The deposit is regulated. In Brussels, for leases signed or renewed from 1 November 2024, the rental deposit may not exceed 2 months' rent, whatever form it takes. In Flanders, which includes Antwerp and Ghent, the maximum is 3 months' rent under the Flemish Housing Rental Decree in force since 1 January 2019. In both regions the money must not go into the landlord's own account.
Brussels also limits what a landlord may ask of you: identity, contact details, the number of people in the household and the amount of your financial resources. Nothing else.
Newcomers get stuck because every step in Belgium requires the step before it, and the first step is a lease.
To register with the commune, you need a lease or other proof of address.
To get the eID card and national number, you need a positive police check at that address.
To open a full Belgian bank account, the bank wants proof of your Belgian address, and many banks want the residence card too.
To sign a standard lease, the landlord wants a Belgian account for the deposit and rent, plus Belgian payslips.
Step 4 depends on step 3, and step 3 depends on step 1. The loop breaks only if you find housing that does not need the bank account or payslips. Our guide to registering with the commune in Belgium covers steps 1 and 2 in detail, including deadlines and the police visit.
There are five realistic ways to house yourself before you have a Belgian bank account, and they differ in cost, length and whether you can register at the address.
Option | What you need | Can you register at the commune? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
Hotel or aparthotel | Payment card | No | The first few nights |
Short-stay platform booking | Payment card | Usually no | 1 to 4 weeks |
Staying with a colleague or relative | Their consent | Yes, with their signed declaration | If you have that contact |
Standard lease through an agency | Income proof, deposit, Belgian account | Yes | Stays of 3 years or more |
Furnished mid-term rental | ID, sometimes only that | Depends on the provider and owner | 1 to 11 months |
Rent out your apartment with Globexs
Hotels and short-stay bookings solve the first nights but not the commune: you cannot be registered at a hotel. If you compare costs over several months, read hotel vs furnished apartment in Belgium.
A standard lease makes sense once you have the eID, a Belgian account and a few payslips. Belgian residential leases are built for long stays; the classic main-residence lease runs 9 years, with break points at 3 and 6 ("3-6-9"), and short leases run up to 3 years.
A furnished mid-term rental is the bridge in between. The important question is what the provider actually asks for, because "furnished" does not automatically mean "no payslips".
You can improve a standard application even without Belgian documents, though no landlord is obliged to accept it.
Bring your employment contract or secondment letter, in English, French or Dutch, showing the Belgian salary.
Add payslips and bank statements from your home country for the last 3 months.
Ask your employer whether the company can be the tenant, with you named as the occupant; the commune needs your name on the lease to register you.
Expect this route to take longer than a furnished rental. When a good apartment gets several applications, the candidate with Belgian payslips usually has the advantage.
At Globexs you need only a passport or national ID card to rent: no Belgian bank account, no payslips, no employer letter and no guarantor.
We have rented furnished apartments since 2002 and currently list 135 apartments in Belgium. Here is how renting works:
Choose an apartment in Brussels, Antwerp or Ghent and tell us your dates. Contracts run from 1 to 11 months.
Sign the contract and pay by instant bank transfer. A Belgian account is not required.
Move in the same day or the next day after the contract is signed and the transfer has arrived.
Live on one monthly invoice. The price is all-in, including energy with no cap in euros, on one invoice issued on the 15th and due by the 1st of the following month.
Extend with one email if your plans change.
Prices start from EUR 1,300 per month in Antwerp and from EUR 1,500 in Brussels and Ghent.
If you are staying more than 3 months and need an eID, you can ask to use the apartment as your registered address. Send a written request to your rental agent; we ask the owner for written permission and tell you the decision. Registration does not change the price, the contract or the deposit. Ask before you sign, so you know the answer in advance.
The checklist below explains the order of the steps after you move in.
Brussels · Antwerp · Ghent · How renting with Globexs works
Typical scenario, not a specific client: a software engineer from outside the EU starts a job in Antwerp on the 1st of the month, with a 7-month project and a D visa.
Week 1: signs a furnished apartment contract with a passport, pays by instant transfer from a home-country account, moves in the next day.
Week 1: asks the rental agent in writing about registration; the owner agrees. Reports to the commune within 8 working days.
Weeks 3 to 6: police check at the apartment, then the residence card.
After the card: opens a Belgian account, joins a health insurance fund, activates itsme.
The furnished rental covered the weeks before the engineer could pass a standard landlord's checks.
Once you have an address, the rest of the first month follows a fixed order: commune, eID, bank, health insurance, itsme. Our first 30 days in Belgium checklist puts it into a week-by-week plan. For budgets, see the cost of living in Brussels, and for city background, the relocation guides to Antwerp and Ghent.
Yes, but usually not through a standard lease, where landlords expect a Belgian account for the deposit and rent. Furnished mid-term providers are the practical option. At Globexs you need only an ID document and pay by instant transfer.
It is a common way to check that a tenant can pay rent and charges. In April 2026 the Council of State confirmed that landlords may set this requirement.
For standard residential leases, up to 2 months' rent in Brussels for leases signed or renewed from 1 November 2024, and up to 3 months' rent in Flanders, including Antwerp and Ghent. It is usually held in a blocked account in the tenant's name, not paid to the landlord.
Some large banks let you start an account online before you move, but they ask for proof of a Belgian address, such as a lease or a commune document, before it is fully usable. Plan the bank after the housing, not before.
Not by law. Some landlords ask for one when your income cannot be verified. Globexs does not ask for a guarantor, payslips or an employer letter.
It depends on the provider and the owner. At Globexs it is possible when the owner agrees: send a written request to your rental agent, and we obtain the owner's written decision. The price, contract and deposit stay the same.
The same day or the next day after the contract is signed and your instant transfer has arrived. Contracts run from 1 to 11 months.
At Globexs, from EUR 1,300 per month in Antwerp and from EUR 1,500 in Brussels and Ghent. The price is all-in and includes energy with no cap in euros.
