In this post we share our best tips on how to rent a van in Ghent. An expat is often in temporary need of a van, either when buying new furniture or moving to a new address. We also list a few reasons why you might want to rent a van and show alternative solutions.

Rent a van

Traditional car rental companies often have vans for rent, for example:

• Dockx Rental
• Luxauto
• Sixt
• Caruur

Tips for saving money: Shop around, compare prices between different companies. Read the fine print and check which insurances you need. E.g who is liable to cover costs in an accident.

Shops like Ikea, Weba and Brico also rents out vans to their customers, more info about them below.

Car sharing companies

You can rent a van via Cambio. If you do that you need to pay a deposit of 150€-500€ depending on your membership. This you get back when you stop the membership. On top of that you pay an hourly or daily fee + kilometer rate.

There are also car sharing possibilities between individuals, a bit like AirBnB for cars: Drivy, Cozycar & Dégage might have vans available at a low cost.

The car sharing links contain information in Dutch only.

Alternative Solutions

Moving house

If you are looking for information on the administrative side of moving house, read our Square post about that here. There are also tips on moving companies, parking signs, elevators and where to get boxes…

Buying new furniture

Ikea has a range of services for getting your new furniture to your house, like rent a van, delivery and pick up. You can read more about it in Dutch here.

Weba offers a paid delivery service for the furniture you bought there. You can also rent a van from them. See more info in Dutch here.

Renting furniture

Instead of buying new furniture, consider renting it if you only need it for a few months. One company that provides this service is In-Lease, delivery and pickup included. See how it works in English here.

Renovating a house

The DIY shop Brico is a good place to buy any supplies needed for renovating, like paints, tools and construction material. You can also rent a van from them, or arrange delivery. More info in Dutch here.

To get rid of renovation material such as soil, sand, cement or plaster you can arrange for delivery and pickup of a 1m3 sack with Ivago. This service costs 80€. See more here.

Getting rid of stuff

Furniture and other household items

There are a number of ways you can get rid of any items in good condition which you have at home. You can sell them via a website for second hand stuff, e.g 2dehands.be or FB group Second Hand Market GENT. Or donate them via a FB group GIFT | Gent.

You can also use the service of the second-hand shops, known as Kringwinkels. You can arrange a pick up by calling 09 224 07 15. For more information, see Kringwinkel Ateljee. Or drop items off at one of the shops. You can find the addresses here.

You can also take part in a flea market. See The Square.Gent’s tips in this post.

Damaged electrical items

If you have any electrical goods damaged beyond repair you can either bring them to a Kringwinkel (see addresses above) or the dump or waste disposal park. Electronics shops like Krëfel, MediaMarkt and Vandenborre usually welcome any defect devices when you buy a new one instead. They also deliver and install goods you bought from them, often for free.

Going to the dump

You can also take pretty much anything you want to get rid of to one of Ghent’s waste disposal parks.

You can also arrange for the waste collection company Ivago to pick up any larger items or quantities which don’t fit in your bin, such as damaged furniture or large amounts of cardboard. You are entitled to one free of charge collection of up to 200kg per year, on a date specified by Ivago. For additional times and amounts Ivago charges a small fee.

For other questions on waste disposal: see our Recycling and waste post or check the website of Ivago (in Dutch).

Did we miss out on a great tip? Let us know in the comments below or via email: hello@thesquare.gent

Disclaimer

Note: the information on this page is based on the information found on official government and local websites, and on the experience of the authors. While we have done our best to make sure it is accurate, rules and regulations change and each individual situation might be different, so it is always a good idea to check with appropriate authorities for the latest information. Consequently, the authors do not assume any responsibility or liability for any issues or damages stemming from the use of the information found on this website.

About the author:

Jenny is originally from Finland and moved to Ghent in 2009. Now she works as self-employed organising events, supporting businesses with marketing and helping people starting their own businesses by being a community manager of Entrepreneurs Anonymous & co-organiser of Freelance Business Day. Find out more and connect with her on LinkedIn.