How to rent an apartment in Luxembourg
Everything you need to know to find and move into an apartment in Luxembourg.
You can search remotely if you are in another country, and locally if you are in Luxembourg.
If you are planning to move to Luxembourg and are thinking about finding an apartment, you can search for suitable accommodation from a distance. All you need to do is read reviews of municipalities and neighborhoods, walk the streets with the help of Google Maps, and study the infrastructure. However, you should keep in mind that maps may be out of date, and reviews contain generalized experiences, not personalized ones: it is not certain that you will be comfortable in this particular municipality, town, or district.
There is a risk of not being able to check everything when you try to evaluate an apartment directly. For example, whether there is an unpleasant smell, how noisy the neighbors are, what you can see from the window: wasteland or parking lot, and similar nuances. It makes sense to arrange an online inspection with a real estate agent and ask him to show you the view from the window, and the neighborhood, ask about the smell, and clarify the noise level.
In this case, you can check everything in person by visiting the apartment. This includes checking the connection and internet, how close the train or airport is, how good the noise insulation is, and how close you and your family are to important places. Finally, you can travel to different communities and choose an apartment in the suburbs near the capital or further away, depending on your budget, preferences, need for office visits, and many other factors.
However, to view the apartment in person, you will need a place to stay for the entire time you are looking for suitable accommodation. This is usually a hotel or an apartment on AirBnB or Booking, which is an additional expense. You will also need to set aside time to walk around and look. This can usually be done during working hours on weekdays, as this is when estate agents work.
Both scenarios have their advantages and disadvantages. They can be summarized in the form of a table.
| Viewing time | A tour of the neighborhood, the apartment | Expenses | |
| Remote | At a time that works for you and the agent | It all depends on the details you checked with your realtor | No additional hotel costs |
| On-site | During the realtor's office hours | It depends on what you have studied | Need to find a short-term apartment to stay in while searching |
Registering in the community
Within 3 days of moving to Luxembourg, you must come to the administration office and register. If you are staying in a hotel, you do not need to worry about registration — the hotel will take care of everything. If you are renting through AirBnB or Booking, you should write to the owner of the accommodation and ask if they are willing to register foreigners.
It is usually more difficult to search remotely than offline, as owners want to meet their tenants personally. If you are looking for an apartment for a long-term stay, it is worthwhile to search in person for at least 3-8 weeks. You can do this by staying in a hotel or renting temporary accommodation.
To find an apartment, you will need a bank account.
However you decide to look for accommodation, it is worth narrowing down your search by choosing the most suitable and desirable locations. To do this, you need to understand what Luxembourg is like as a country to live in and what you can choose from.
Let's learn a little about how to choose a future place to live and what to look for.
Cantons
Communes
Major regions
Rental costs tend to be lower in the northern part (Oesling) than in the southern part (Guttland).
If you decide to settle in the capital of the Grand Duchy, it's worth exploring Luxembourg's neighborhoods.
The historical center of the city is usually referred to as two districts: Upper Town (Ville Haute) and Lower Town (or Grund). They are considered to be almost the busiest in Luxembourg and are called "Old Town". In addition to the Old Town, the rejuvenated Clausen and the tranquil Pfaffenthal are also considered historical quarters. All 4 quarters are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Ville Haute
Grund
Clausen
Pfaffenthal
All of the neighborhoods in the historic center have common features:
- Low supply on the real estate market and high cost of renting and buying an apartment.
- Difficulties with parking.
The districts of Gare, Clausen and Hollerich are considered the centers of attraction in the evening.
Gare
Clausen
Hollerich
Kirchberg and the adjacent Neudorf-Weimershof are rightly considered the heart of Luxembourg's business life.
Kirchberg
Neudorf-Weimershof
Quiet neighborhoods with lots of greenery and well-developed infrastructure: proximity to the center, transportation, schools, parks, playgrounds are ideal for families with children. Most of these neighborhoods are also popular with expats.
Limpertsberg
Belair
Merl
Cessange
Gasperich
Bonnevoie-Sud and Bonnevoie-Nord
Some areas of Luxembourg suffer from aircraft noise from Findel Airport. This disadvantage has created a significant rental market with lower prices compared to other neighborhoods.
Hamm
Cents
Neighborhoods located away from the city center offer an atmosphere of tranquility and unity with nature. They are distinguished by an abundance of recreational areas and walking paths that lead through lush green spaces and forests.
Beggen
Dommeldange
Mühlenbach
Eich
Belair-Nord
Weimerskirch
Pulvermühl
The cost of your future home will depend on many factors: the number of rooms, the presence of pets, access to transportation, but the choice of municipality plays an important role in the price. The north is cheaper than the south, so it will be cheaper to rent an apartment in one of the communes in the north (Wiltz, Clervaux) than in the south (Niederanven, Luxembourg, Walferdange).
| Commune | Price (euro) |
| Luxembourg | 1836 |
| Sandweiler | 2170 |
| Walferdange | 1599 |
| Hesperange | 1987 |
| Strassen | 1991 |
| Niederanven | 1925 |
| Bertrange | 1940 |
| Mersch | 1537 |
| Wiltz | 1402 |
| Clervaus | 1248 |
Costs are based on housing data from the Observatoire de 'Habitat, published quarterly by the Luxembourg government.
However, regardless of the community, if you plan to rent a home, the tenant should be prepared for significant expenses on the first day.
Agency fees are not paid by the owner but by the tenant
In Luxembourg, it is common practice that there is always an intermediary when renting an apartment. The agency fee is always paid by the tenant
Irina Bettendorf, real estate agent, in an interview with Luxtoday
You must pay immediately:
- 2000 euros: payment for the first month
- 4000 or 6000 euros: deposit equal to the rent for 2 or 3 months
- 2000 euros + 17% = 2340: The agent will pay the first month's rent plus 17% (2000*17:100=340)
Total amount
+ Insurance
Owners often ask for rental risk insurance (risqué locatifs) from one of the insurance companies such as LaLux, Baloise, AXA and Allianz.
Cost
Period
Important to know
Keep the following important points in mind and read the tips carefully to help you avoid mistakes when calculating your budget and making a deposit.
The deposit does not cover the rent! This is stated in every contract. This means that this money can be used for repairs after eviction, for depreciation, so to speak. And to pay utility bills. And you must pay your rent regularly, regardless of the circumstances.
According to Luxembourg law, the maximum annual rent cannot exceed 5% of the cost of the property.
However, almost no owner sets 5% because housing is very expensive. In the capital, they usually don't put more than 2-3% on new housing, because otherwise it will be very expensive for the tenant to live in it.
Don't pay the deposit in cash or by bank transfer to the landlord's account, make it a simple bank guarantee. Otherwise, it will be difficult to get your deposit back, even if you don't damage anything.
There is an unspoken rule: no landlord will rent out an apartment if the income of the family applying for the apartment does not exceed, on average, 3 times the cost of rent plus utilities.
So if you rent an apartment for 2,000 euros and pay 250 euros for utilities, the family should earn at least 6,700 euros. If the income is around 5,000, in many cases such an application will not be accepted. No one is going to refer to a law or a document because they do not exist. It's just the way it is.
You can rent an apartment in Luxembourg for short term (up to 3-6 months) or long term (from six months to one year or more). To open a bank account and obtain a residence permit, you need a long-term lease. Short-term rentals are suitable while you are looking for a permanent home.
There are enough options to rent an apartment in Luxembourg for the long term (from six months or more).
Local websites
Agents
On advertisement
Justlanded
Finding temporary accommodation in Luxembourg, i.e. renting an apartment for up to 3-6 months, is generally not difficult. But there is one important condition: you have to ask the owner about the possibility of registering with the municipality for this period in all cases, except when you are staying in a hotel.
Aparthotel
Airbnb or Booking
Social Media
Things to consider in your search for a permanent home
In any case, if you are going to live in Luxembourg, you will need to find a place to rent long term. Usually everyone searches on local sites. It is important to take into account some important characteristics of the advertisements published.
Almost all local rental sites allow you to save your search criteria and set up notifications when apartments that match your criteria become available.
It is worth calling rather than writing because in this case, the chances of being able to visit the property you are interested in are much higher. This happens because the demand for apartments is higher than the supply. The agent is simultaneously being texted and called from unknown numbers by many people who want to make an appointment to view the property.
The agent does not know the person who is looking for an apartment, so you should call with a prepared story about yourself, including answers to key questions:
- What is your financial situation, do you have a work contract, where do you work, what is your monthly income
- How many people are in the family, are there children and pets, how many pets are there, what are they like
- What is the psychological situation of the person: how long has he been looking for an apartment or has he just started, has he had a negative experience or not, etc.
Many people are not ready to discuss these things, so they prefer to write an email or meet with an agent in person. But it's faster and more effective to discuss this on the phone.
One of the most important stages is the viewing. This is an opportunity for the prospective tenant to get to know all the nuances of their future home.
Be sure to ask the owner
- Who owns the property, is it possible to verify ownership?
- What utilities are paid: water, heating, electricity, sewerage, chimney cleaning, garbage collection or anything else. Ask the owner for a list of them and their costs (les charges).
- Is it possible to provide security in the form of a simple bank guarantee?
- How will further communication take place if the apartment is rented to you: does the owner plan to come and check the general condition; how often; does he plan to receive payment: in person or by transfer to a card?
In Luxembourg, and especially in the capital, it is the landlord who chooses the tenant, since demand is high and supply is limited. Usually, the apartment is shown to several applicants and their documents are sent to the landlord for the final decision. Often it is sufficient to send a copy of your passport or residence permit and a work contract, but not always.
The agent acts on behalf of the owner, knows the owner's needs, and the agent's job is to find the right tenant for the owner. Not vice versa.
Write a resume for your family, it helps a lot. If you want your daughters to sleep in the same bedroom, then justify in the same letter why — like the children are so close friends that they want to live in the same room (formally you need a 3 bedroom apartment for a family of 4 according to the unwritten rules of renting in Luxembourg, but I don't know your criteria, maybe you are looking for 2 bedrooms for 4 people, hence the rejections).
We once liked an apartment so much that we even offered to pay six months in advance in addition to the deposit; the agent liked us, who "sold" us to the owner in every possible way, but still, the owner said "no, I want a family with a higher monthly income" and turned us down 🙈.
If the apartment owner approves your candidacy as a tenant, they will send you a copy of the lease for your preliminary review. This is not a final document, but a preliminary one: so that the tenant can study everything carefully and ask questions.
The agreement must be in writing in duplicate, as oral agreements are not evidenced.
The agreement must be in writing and in duplicate, as outdated agreements will not be honored.
The rent is fixed at the time of signing the lease. The terms of the contract can only be adjusted once every 2 years. This means that the amount cannot be revised within two years unless otherwise specified in the contract.
By law, the maximum amount that an owner can receive as rent cannot exceed 5% of the amount that the owner has invested in the property.
This amount is made up of:
- The cost of the land on which the apartment is built;
- The cost of constructing the building;
- The amount invested in any renovations and alterations.
But there are exceptions. Social housing and luxury housing are not subject to the 5% rule.
A security deposit is a guarantee that money will be paid to the owner if the property is damaged or broken. At the end of the rental period, the deposit will be returned if the tenant has not damaged or broken anything, there are no debts on utility bills, etc. Otherwise, the deposit covers the damage.
You can register a security deposit in one of 4 ways:
First demand guarantee
Transfer to the owner's account
Cash payment
Bank guarantee
Lifehack
The most reliable way to get the deposit back is to deposit it as a simple bank guarantee (not "on-demand"). To do this, however, you need to open a bank account and to open an account, you need a lease. Is it a vicious circle?
Not quite: it is important to understand that the deposit is required and paid precisely at the moment of moving into the apartment, and not at the moment of signing the contract.
Therefore, you can rent an apartment that is not available now, but after some time, for example in 2-4 weeks, and sign a lease. With this contract, go to the bank, open an account, and ask for a simple bank guarantee.
Before the tenant takes possession of the premises, a written report on the condition of the property is prepared.
The document is signed by both parties on each page. Dated at the time of composition.
Once the tenant has signed the apartment acceptance certificate, he is financially responsible for any damage to the apartment he has rented. The deposit is a guarantee that the apartment will be left in the same condition as when you arrived.
In other words, if you rent an empty apartment with white walls and no lamps or furniture, it must be returned to the owner in this condition. And remember that when you leave, you will almost always be asked to repaint the walls.
Please be informed that if you are renting an apartment or house, utilities may be included in the rent. If so, they must be included in the contract. If utilities are not included in the monthly rent, and there was a previous tenant, transfer the utility bills to your name after them.
To pay utility bills, all you need is a local bank account. In mobile banking, you can set your preferred payment method — automatic collection (domiciliation) or self-payment by bank transfer (virement).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is it easy to rent a house in Luxembourg
How much does it cost to rent an apartment in Luxembourg
How to find an apartment in Luxembourg
What are the rules for renting an apartment
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