Hello, I need to renew my EPC (PEB) Certificate. Based on your personal experience, do you know any English speaking experts? Thanks

Hallo,

Zijn de Fresh 'n Rebel producenten verkocht door Action van een lagere kwaliteit als de producten die het merk/andere verkopers verkopen? Of zijn deze uiterlijk alleen verschillend?

Alvast bedankt!

Hello, everyone. This is a long-read post with some info from my experience of moving to Belgium, life in Belgium, and things I used to think of and search about. I hope somebody finds this helpful.

Point zero, the city. After much research about where to live, I came down to two options: Brussels or Leuven. I ended up choosing Leuven and this has been one of the best decisions I made so far. Even though my office is in Brussels(I'm not a student) commuting from Leuven to Brussels is pretty easy and quick, plus I don't have to be there every day which makes it even better. Leuven is a beautiful city with a low crime rate and a bunch of things to do. One thing to note is that the rent here is generally more expensive than in Brussels per my experience but the difference is not that dramatic and in my opinion worth the peace of mind that you get in Leuven.

Firstly; rent, deposit, and banks. Coming to Belgium you'll a bit of a have hard time finding rent that suits you and dealing with banks (before you get your residence permit). Regarding the rental situation, if you are not a student you'll most probably see a lot of unfurnished apartment offers. With a bit of time and luck you'll manage to find something suitable for you, but consider looking somewhere outside of Leuven ring; places like Heverlee(a 15-minute walk to the city center for me). Regarding the deposit; ING bank has an option where they open a rental deposit account for international people without a residence permit. My advice would be, to use ING for rental deposit and fire insurance and once you get a residence permit get yourself a KBC account. KBC has an excellent mobile app and helpful support. For apartment heating and gas provider, I use Eneco (recommended by my local friend).

Secondly, the trash system. For the past few years I lived in one of the Baltic countries but coming here the trash system caught me off guard. Firstly, each type of trash has a dedicated bag(or container(for GFT)) that you can buy in most of the supermarkets(just ask the cashier). No matter which city of Belgium you decide to live in, please check with your municipality(perhaps some info on their website) for the trash schedule or use a "Recycle!" app that will just notify you about the trash pickups. Generally, just sort your trash properly, check the "Recycle!" app if you don't know what should go where as they have some guides regarding that.

Thirdly, health insurance and the healthcare system. I'm not sure if this is something required by the law or not but get health insurance. My workplace covers my hospitalization but I decided to get a CM personal insurance. Belgian healthcare system is very strong and having health insurance gets you checkups for just 10-20 euros and the rest is covered by the health insurance. Plus it includes annual cleanups at the dentist(afaik it's recommended to do at least one annual dental cleaning for the insurance to be able to cover more in the future). Since arriving I already had a few doctor visits and dental cleanings and paid less than 100 in total after the refund. Also, get yourself a "generalist" AKA "family doctor" for regular complaints or referrals.

Fourthly, gym. Very often I see the question about gyms in Leuven. After some research, I decided to get a trial training at "Jims" (pre-renovation), and I liked it, but now after the renovation (plus the opening of another branch), I can say this is an ideal gym. The prices are pretty much what I used to pay before, all the equipment is new, helpful personnel, new showers, lockers, cardio rooms, and group training; basically after renovation, Jims has everything and more that you need to have a nice workout experience. Don't have to take my word for it, just get a FREE trial training and decide for yourself.

Fifthly, groceries and shopping. Most of my groceries I buy in Delhaize which I think has reasonable prices. Possibly Colruyt has the lowest prices but I'm personally fine with Delhaize BUT the main thing is to get the supermarket apps regardless of where you shop. They often have some deal and bonus systems that can save you some money or get you some extra stuff for your buck. For clothing I shop in the city shops or use Zalando, for tech and other stuff I use Amazon(.de) or Coolblue (the next day delivery is truly beautiful). For furniture: Ikea

Miscellaneous: For the home internet I use Telenet, it's super expensive compared to the internet where I'm from but at least I'm getting a stable connection, low ping, and fast download speed. For the mobile, I went with Mobile Viking because it's cheaper and I don't really care about mobile since I have a second work phone that constantly has a hotspot on.

If you decide to go with Leuven, get yourself a bike. It's way easier to navigate through the city with a bike. Tbh I personally haven't gotten one because I have a static job so I prefer to walk to get some cardio in, but at times you just notice how a bike is a very necessary thing here.

Try to slowly learn a language; I'd recommend some basics as grocery names and some daily words. Almost everyone in Leuven speaks English but many signs, product info, etc are not translated so it's worth learning the basics, to start with.

I believe these are the main topics I wanted to mention. People who know more, feel free to correct me if I said something inaccurate or add some more info. For people who have questions, leave them below and let the community help you. :)

Hope this is helpful to somebody, take care.

Hi All, I am looking for Deep cleaning services . I could find hourly basic cleaning services but I don't require that. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Ik start binnenkort op als vrijwilliger in een dierenasiel. Nu moet ik kiezen tussen bij de honden of katten. Beide begint met schoonmaakwerk. Op termijn kan je wel doorgroeien bv. Bij de honden zijn er verschillende niveau's, maar je kan dus ook kiezen om op een lager niveau met de 'makkelijkere' honden te blijven werken.

Ik heb tot een paar jaar geleden kleine honden en katten gehad. Ik zie dus beiden wel graag, enkel heb ik wel wat meer angst voor vreemde katten, maar evengoed voor grote honden dus daar zal ik met toch leren overzetten.

Vrees alleen dat dat bij de honden heel veel geluid gaat zijn van al dat geblaf samen?

En wat zou het zwaarst zijn fysiek? Door operaties heb ik wel wat moeite met mijn knieën/hurken is moeilijk, maar poets thuis zelf ook dus. Ik ben ook nog jong, prille dertiger dus.

Ergens wou ik graag bij de honden starten, maar na extra info aan te vragen hoorde ik dat je dan minimaal iedere week moet gaan. Dit is dan 1 voormiddag in het weekend. Ik wou eigenlijk starten met 1x om de 14 dagen, wat ook perfect mogelijk is, maar dan ga je gewoon niet met de honden mogen werken in de toekomst omdat de frequentie te weinig is, tenzij dat de frequentie verandert naar iedere week in de toekomst natuurlijk.

Iemand advies waar voor te kiezen? Wil dit echt doen en iets betekenen voor de dieren, nuttig bezig zijn naast mijn voltijdse job. Ik heb geen enkele andere hobby door omstandigheden en zou hier graag verandering in brengen met dit vrijwilligerswerk.

Amazon or super shops?

Has anybody heard of this company or gone on one of their trips?

I saw an ad for a trip next weekend. The plan seems good. The price seems good. I can't find much information on them so I'm wondering if it's legit. Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks

I have to travel regularly to Leuven from Brussels during week nights and especially Friday evening at rush-hour time. I then need to drive back to Brussels same evening. I know that the train is an option but the late night train back is not such a good option which is why I need a car, especially as where I need to go is nowhere near the main Leuven train station and is in fact outside of Leuven itself . I’ve done a trial run on Friday afternoon leaving Brussels at 16:45 and it took me two hours to get to the Leuven train station, a journey of 28 km. It was easily the worst traffic I’ve ever seen in my life in Belgium.. is this normal or was it a one off?

Ik start binnenkort op als vrijwilliger in een dierenasiel. Nu moet ik kiezen tussen bij de honden of katten. Beide begint met schoonmaakwerk. Op termijn kan je wel doorgroeien bv. Bij de honden zijn er verschillende niveau's, maar je kan dus ook kiezen om op een lager niveau met de 'makkelijkere' honden te blijven werken.

Ik heb tot een paar jaar geleden kleine honden en katten gehad. Ik zie dus beiden wel graag.

Vrees alleen dat dat bij de honden heel veel geluid gaat zijn van al dat geblaf samen?

En wat zou het zwaarst zijn fysiek? Door operaties heb ik wel wat moeite met mijn knieën/hurken is moeilijk, maar poets thuis zelf ook dus.

Op leuven.be/cohousing staat "Alle bewoners wonen officieel op het adres (domicilie)" + "Ze zijn geen studenten, ook niet in combinatie met werkende mensen"

Is daar op een manier een mouw aan te passen? Heeft iemand weet over hoe moeilijk verhuurders hier in praktijk over doen? We willen graag met drie vrienden gaan samenwonen waarvan twee net werken en één voltijdse stage heeft als geneeskundestudent. Vooral een 'flexibele' verhuurder vinden?

Is the tradition of kids going door to door to sing for sweets at New Year's something that is (still) alive in Leuven or any of the "suburbs"?

Bonus: what about Drie Koningen?

Someone knows barber that's good at cutting this hairstyle from personal experience?

My partner's birthday is coming up on Saturday and I'd like to surprise him with a cake. However, I don't live here and could really use some help figuring out the best way to send a cake (and maybe flowers too), except using Uber Eats. Thank you!

I will be taking the train to the airport in a couple days, and before leaving, I need to hand over my studio keys, which is is the opposite side of the train station. So, I would like to know, if there is any place I can find a luggage locker, so I can leave my luggages while I deliver back my studio keys, since I cannot let the luggage in my studio (I won't have the keys after delivering it). Regards.

I have been feeling a bit stressed lately and looking for some edibles. Apparently this shop called green grown https://maps.app.goo.gl/xhkUrSrb5V8rtBfLA sells similar products. I read that it is not legal to sell in Belgium. Any recommendations?

I'm looking for a good place to watch the Liverpool v Madrid game but I was wondering if there was anywhere that would make sure to turn the sound on for the game?

Hi, I have moved to Leuven in June and have been working in Brussels for the majority of time and didn't have much time to do anything else. Despite the weather, I would like to do do a bit of sport to enjoy an activity but also meeting new people in Leuven (I only know a few colleagues from work and they all live in Brussels or even further). As I am not a student, do you have any idea where I can register to play football (indoor for the moment) or tennis (beginner level)/padel (never tried it) ? I don't mind paying a registration fee if needed. Thanks a lot !

Hi everyone,

I've recently gotten into chess and have been enjoying learning the game. However, spending hours at the computer isn't really my thing, so I'm looking to meet up with some like-minded people for some casual over-the-board (OTB) games.

It doesn't matter how good you are—I consider myself a beginner, and this is more about having fun and enjoying the game. Whether it's at a coffee shop, a park, or over a beer, I'm open to any relaxed setting.

If you're in the area and would be interested, feel free to drop a comment or send me a message, and we can set something up!

Hello,

I spent last few months trying to adopt a dog, but due to my specific circumstances (entire family living abroad and need to fly with my fellow companion on occasions + I do not have garden) it was just impossible to find any match. I am still looking into it, but my hope is fading.

As an alternative, I started looking into potential breeders. As I am looking strictly for a small dogs (up to 8 kg, as per airlines requirement sadly), I bumped into a breed Schipperke, that actually comes from around Leuven. Thus, I was wondering if you know any breeders in Leuven or around (can be anywhere in Belgium really)? I have spotted Schipperke several times in Leuven/Brussels, so hoping you can point me in right direction. Thanks so much!

Hi, does anyone know where can I buy a small pack of curing salt in Leuven or nearby? Thanks in advance!

Hallo Leuvenaars!

Met Dobber willen we graag een nieuwe locatie in Leuven openen. Dobber is een self-service deelsysteem voor SUP's en kajaks. Het concept is eenvoudig: via een QR-code kun je een SUP of kajak reserveren en meteen het water op, zonder gedoe. We zijn momenteel actief op 10 locaties in Vlaanderen en willen graag volgende zomer Leuven aan ons netwerk toevoegen.

Ik woon zelf in Gent, dus ik hoop op jullie hulp! Welke locatie in Leuven zou volgens jullie ideaal zijn om een Dobber-locker te plaatsen? We zoeken een plek met veilige toegang tot het water en voldoende ruimte, ongeveer ter grootte van één parkeerplaats, voor het plaatsen van de locker.

Heel benieuwd naar jullie Ideeën, alle suggesties zijn welkom! Reageer gerust op de post of neem contact op via ahoy@dobber.life

Alvast bedankt voor het meedenken en wie weet zien jullie Dobber binnenkort op jullie favoriete spot! 🙌

Vele groeten,
Sam van Dobber

Onze Dobber locatie in Gent, waar je de hele zomer kan kajakken.

Met Dobber kan je binnen één minuut het water op!