Booking housing from abroad

Searching in Mons from abroad starts with one word: intra-muros. Inside the boulevards, the centre is crossed on foot in about twenty minutes, and most campuses are close to it. Booking without visiting then works very well, as long as you pick the right type and keep a few reflexes.

Three ways to book without visiting

The student residence

The simplest solution from abroad: booking is done online, the contract is standard, the rooms look like the photos and the management is professional. There are two main kinds of residences: private and university ones. Private residences cost more than a kot, but are often all inclusive (charges, internet). University residences are cheaper and places go fast: ask your school's housing service early.

Private housing, with a video visit

Kot, studio, flatshare or room in the owner's house: most private housing today is rented to students who have only seen it on video. Start with the listings that already have a video, and for the others, ask the landlord for a video visit: they walk you through the housing during a video call, and you ask your questions live.

Follow the same checklist as for a visit on site: damp, noise, common areas, charges. Ask to see up close whatever worries you, and the view from the window.

Someone who visits for you

A friend, a family member, a student already there or a staff member of your school can visit in your place, with your list of questions, and even video-call you during the visit. It is the best guarantee when you hesitate between several places.

Booking with confidence

99% of our posters are reliable landlords we know well, often for years. With them, booking from abroad goes like any rental: a video visit, a contract, a bank transfer.

We monitor the listings and the accounts' activity continuously, and we keep scam attempts out. When you are logged in, each poster's profile shows you what we know about their account: if everything is in order, you can book from abroad with confidence.

Otherwise, keep the conversation in the Kot à Mons messaging, it lets us protect you.

Before committing

• Get a written contract before sending any money, and read it: duration, rent, charges, deposit, move-in date.
• Pay by bank transfer, to an account in the name of the person or the company you sign with.
• Ask how the arrival goes: who hands you the keys, when, and whether a move-in inspection is planned.
• Do the inspection as soon as you arrive: take dated photos of everything damaged, and send them to the landlord in the conversation.

When to search

For a September start, residences often fill up from spring, and private housing is rented from May to September. For a stay in the second semester, start looking in November. If you arrive before you have found anything, temporary housing gives you the time to visit on site.

Video visit: the checklist

• The full tour: entrance, room, kitchen, bathroom, common areas.
• The corners of the walls and the windows, for damp.
• The shower running, the heating working.
• The view from the window, and the street in front of the building.
• The charges, the deposit, the move-in date and the duration of the lease, to be confirmed in writing afterwards.