Liège: Accomodation. Where should you live? How to choose?

Kot (student accomodation) in Liège, where should I live?

Future Erasmus students are often lost when it comes to finding a 'kot'. What is a kot? Is it better to live in a residence? To opt for a studio? An apartment? And of course, what neighbourhoods are best?

Liège

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What is a kot? An individual kot? A studio? An apartment?

The word 'kot' comes from French Belgium. It does not exist in the French language spoken in France. A kot is a room that you rent in a building. Often, the kitchen is shared with other students, as is the bathroom. There is rarely a living room, contrary to accommodation in Spain, as a comparison. When the kitchen and/or the bathroom is not shared with anyone, it is called an 'individual kot' or a 'studio' (and is more expensive). The apartment generally consists of a living room and in some cases a dining room. It is essentially a shared apartment.

Should I rent a kot?

If you have the chance to come to Liège on Erasmus, I would advise you to rent a kot, with four or five other people (this makes for a good atmosphere, which is more friendly, and perhaps the chance to practise other languages). The price varies from 230 euros to 320 euros (nicer and larger kots are more expensive). Also, the more people living in the building, the cheaper the price (more often than not). If you want to rent as a couple, it is better to find an apartment or studio. It's less expensive that way, sometimes having only one bedroom. For example, my sister came with her boyfriend and paid 400 euros a month, which ended up being only 200 euros a month each!

When it comes to renting a kot, it's best to start looking in June, from about the 20th (which is more or less when exams have finished). You can do research online however most of the time, the landlord will want to meet you in person to sign the contract (there is always a contract, contrary to certain towns in Spain). If you intend to stay for a year, it's best to visit Liège for a weekend (or ideally a whole week), in order to gather phone contacts (ads are found on the doors of the buildings in which you will find the kot) and arrange a date to visit with the landlord. Often, the landlords arrange the meet up at the weekend. It would be best to take two weeks holiday in order to allow yourself enough time to find something.

It is best to find the adverts as you walk around Liège as sometimes the landlords don't bother putting up their advert on the internet. Also, this allows you to see where the kots are situated in relation to the centre. However, some web sites are useful. There is a section on Erasmusu, kotaliege or even the site http://www.esnhec.com which is the ESN HEC's (economics faculty) website, which helps Erasmus students find a kot. My advice is: look online from home, arrange to meet via email - or telephone if you prefer - then come to Liège for the arranged meeting and when visiting the town, take note of the phone numbers on the cards which say 'kot for rent' around town.

Une rue à Liège

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What about the residences 'Le Home' and 'Le Student Hotel'?

I would not recommend these residences: I found them to be very expensive, far from the centre (Le Home is situated near to Sart Tilman, and this faculty is completely in the middle of a forest). Le Student Hotel is not ideal when it comes to integrating yourself into Belgiun culture and meeting Belgian people (effectively, in the Student Hotel residence, there is not a single person from Belgium). However, my opinion has slightly altered. It is certainly true that the residence has its advantages: you can have a contract for as little as a one month stay, and it saves you from having to find a kot (which is hard work).

Nonetheless, as far as prices in these residences go, a bedroom costs three times as much as a kot. Come to Liège, even if just for a term, search for a kot initially online, arrange the meeting, visit and then if you are not happy with it then perhaps consider the possibility of living in a residence (as a last resort). If you're studying in Sart Tilman (the sciences faculty located in the forest higher up in Liège), I advise you to not go for the residence Le Home, but to take a bus to get to Uni and live in the centre. Also, the bedrooms in these residences are very small and pretty noisy.

Sart Tilman se trouve en plein centre d'une forêt

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What faculties are there in Liège? Where's best to live

There are three large factulties in Liège: the 'XX août' (philosophy and the arts), HEC (economics) and Sart Tilman (faculty of sciences, found in the forest, outside of town).

Le XX août

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HEC Liège

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The first two faculties, philosphy and the arts (XX août) and HEC (Louvrex street), are located in the centre, so renting a kot close by is better. Some good places to live are:

• Avroy Boulevard
• Jonfosse street
• Saint Gilles street
• Centre (Cathedral)
• Roger Avenue
• Louvrex street
• Darchis street
• Augustins street
• Fabri street
• Hemricourt (although this is slightly further away)
• Plan Incliné street
• etc... take a look on google maps!

If you study in the center you can also opt to live in Outremeuse, on the other side of the river. It's more scenic and calm, yet close to the city centre.

The other faculty (sciences) is Sart Tilman. This site is located higher up than Liège is, in the forest, away from the town (thirty minutes by bus). Watch out, if you study in Sart Tilman and want to live in the centre, don't go for kots situated in Outremeuse as the two bus services which go to Sart Tilman (48 and 58) do not pass via here. However you could always walk to the bus stop. If you study at Sart Tilman, you need to buy a bus pass. Ideally it is best to live on Avroy Boulevard or nearby, in the streets which run perpendicular to the boulevard, where you have:

• Darchis street
• Jardin Botanique road
• Augustins street
• Guillemins street
• Hemricourt street
• Louvrex street
• Sant Gilles street
• etc

These places all have several bus stops nearby. They are also all close by to the city centre (between 10 and 15 minutes on foot).

Liège city centre

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