House Rules and Regulations

This is a legally binding contract rider to the Lease.

Tenant understands that any violation of the Lease or these House Rules may result in penalties ranging from a warning to Tenant being permanently discharged from the Room and the Building. Where appropriate for the personal safety of Tenant or other Tenants of the Building, Lessor reserves the right to remove an Tenant from his/her Room and the Building. Tenants removed from the Building for violations of the Lease and/or these House Rules will still be held to his/her financial obligations for the remainder of the Term of the Lease.

Lessor reserves the right to rescind or amend any of the Lessor’s House Rules, and to institute such other rules from time-to-time as may be deemed necessary for the safety, care, or cleanliness of the Building and for securing the comfort and convenience of all Tenants and their Authorized Occupants.

The Lessor shall not be liable to Tenants or their Authorized Occupants for the violation of any of the Lessor’s rules or the breach of any of the items in any Lease by any other Tenant, Authorized Occupant or occupant of the Building.

Initial Room Condition, Occupancy

At the commencement of occupancy, Tenant will have 24 hours to note through email the condition of, and any damage to, the Room and the Lessor provided furniture, fixtures, equipment, appliances and other property in the Room identified on the Inventory List.
Furniture, fixtures, equipment, appliances and other property provided by the Lessor may not be removed from a Room or the Building and may not be switched between rooms. In addition, window screens, if any, shall not be removed.
At or following Tenant’s vacating of the Room, the exclusive use Room and non-exclusive use Common Spaces, they will be inspected, and any damage not previously noted by Tenant in the initial 24 hours period of occupancy shall be charged to Tenant.

Room Changes

Tenants may not move from one Room to another without prior consent from the Lessor. Violation of this requirement is a violation of the Lease which may result in termination or in a charge to Tenant in an amount equal to one-month’s rent under the Lease, and the failure of Tenant to pay such charge by the deadline indicated by Lessor will result in the termination of the Lease.
Tenants interested in changing his or her Room may make an application by email. Once a change has been granted, Such Tenant should complete his or her move according to the lease or as otherwise agreed to by the Lessor.

Guests / Visitation

Guests and invitees are expected to abide by these House Rules and all other rules and regulations. Tenant is responsible for the behavior of his/her guests and invitees, including restitution for damages caused by such Tenant’s guests and invitees. In order to have a guest(s) or invitee(s), Tenant must have the consent of the other Tenants of the Room on each occasion. Extended visits (i.e., more than 3 consecutive days, or more than 5 days in any 2 weeks period) are not permitted unless agreed upon by the Lessor in writing and with a payment of additional fees as stated in the lease agreement.

Keys and Lockout Fees

Tenant may not change or add locks (including chain locks, deadbolts, etc.). Duplication of keys is prohibited. Tenant must return his/her key tags and any other access items to Lessor at the end of the Tenant’s tenancy under the Lease. Unauthorized copies of keys will not be accepted. Occupant, guests or invitees damage any locks, Tenant shall pay for changes to the locks.
In the event Tenant loses or breaks any key, Tenant shall pay Lessor a replacement and/or access code resetting fee of 40 € per key. Tenant shall advise the Lessor of the loss or damage no later than twenty-four hours of such loss.
The Lessor makes no representation that staff will be available at all times to provide access.
Tenants should assure that all windows and doors to the Room are locked and secured at all times and when vacating the Room.

Damage / Loss Charges

Tenants must take care in keeping their Rooms clean to prevent insect infestation.
Tenant is responsible for damages to his/her Room, as well as damage and/or loss to the furnishings, fixtures, equipment, appliances and other property Lessor has provided, which are caused by the acts or omissions of such Tenant, and his or her Authorized Occupants, guests and invitees. Tenant agrees to pay for the restoration of the property to its condition at the time of initial occupancy or for repairs or replacement (except normal wear and tear), unless the identity of others responsible, including other Tenants and their Authorized Occupants, guests and invitees, for the damage or loss is established and proven by Tenant. This responsibility extends until the Room is officially returned to the Lessor as provided above. If the responsible party for the damages cannot be determined, charges for damages, cleaning, replacement of furniture, etc. shall be divided by the number of Tenants leasing the Room. If one or more Tenants or their Authorized Occupants assume responsibility for damages, cleaning, replacement of furniture, etc., a written statement signed by the responsible party must be noted in writing and delivered to the Lessor at the time of surrendering occupancy. Charges will not be assessed to one Tenant based solely on another Tenant’s claim of wrongdoing.
It is understood that Tenants are responsible for any damage or loss caused or non-routine cleaning or trash removal required to the common areas of the Building and their furnishings, including vending machines and other equipment placed in the Building as a convenience to Tenants and Authorized Occupants. Common areas outside of Rooms may include corridors, recreation rooms, kitchens, study rooms, living rooms, laundry rooms, public bathrooms, lounges, terraces, rooftop terraces, entry corridors and pavement in front of the Building.
When damage occurs, Tenant(s) will be billed directly for the repairs. The Lessor shall have the authority to assess and assign charges for these damages as set forth in the Fee Catalogue accessed through the Cohabs App.

Housekeeping / Trash Removal

Tenants are responsible for routine cleaning of their Rooms, and maintaining order in all common areas, such as hallways, stairwells. Hallways and stairways must be kept free of personal belongings.
Periodic cleaning of common areas of the Building outside of each Room will be provided by the Lessor.
Tenants shall maintain their exclusive use Rooms and non-exclusive use shared Living Room, Kitchen and Bathroom in an orderly and sanitary condition. This includes removal of personal trash (such as trash bags, pizza boxes, etc.) to a trash bin or dumpster and recycling as provided. Tenants shall ensure the trash bins are placed on the curb (the night before) for collection on the appropriate day.
If not done properly, Tenants may be charged a fee for the removal of their personal trash from common areas in the Building.
Tenants shall recycle properly, otherwise a fine may.
In order to avoid obstruction, it is forbidden to flush objects (including tampons, pads or other sanitary items) down the toilets. Any resulting cost for the Lessor will be directly billed to the Tenant.

Inspections / Room Entry

Authorized representatives of Lessor may enter a Tenant’s Room in these cases:

For the purpose of assuring fire protection, sanitation or scheduled maintenance and proper use of Lessor’s furnishings, fixtures, equipment, appliances, property, and facilities. Any such inspections or entry, except in the case of emergencies, shall be announced twenty-four (24) hours in advance by providing notice to the Tenants of the Roomt. Tenant’s absence will not prevent the carrying out of such maintenance or safety inspections.
For the purpose of cleaning private bathrooms.
When Tenant has requested repairs or any intervention by logging an incident, workers may enter Tenant’s Room in his/her absence.
If a Tenant moves out of a Room, the Lessor or its representative may enter the Room following the completion of the move out, to inspect for damages and insure space is available for a new occupant.
If noise (unattended loud music, alarm clock, etc.) coming from a Room where the occupants are not present is causing a disruption to the community
In any circumstance where the Lessor’s representative reasonably believes in good faith that a health or safety issue or threat exists, including for example illegal drug use or illegal presence of weapons.

The Lessor’s policy prohibits staff members from unlocking Room doors and exclusive use Room doors for anyone other than the Tenant or other Authorized Occupant of the Room.

Maintenance

While the Lessor will be responsible for routine maintenance, the Tenant is responsible for reporting maintenance concerns.
The Lessor will provide electrical power, heat, air-conditioning (in some locations) and water and maintain these utilities under good conditions. Tenants must understand that, as a condition of their tenancy under the Lease, the Lessor shall not be responsible or liable for any damage or loss to the Tenant’s personal property while in the Room or the Building caused by the cessation or failure of such utilities. Moreover, the Lessor will not be in breach of the Lease if such utility service is suspended for any reason as long as the Lessor has always acted in good faith.

Repairs

Requests for repairs should be made by email. The Lessor should acknowledge receipt of the request within 24hours.

Prohibited Items in the Building

Some examples of items not permitted in the Building or any Room are listed here; however, this list is not necessarily all-inclusive:

Animals (except service and comfort animals as permitted under applicable law)
Non-fused extension cords
Outside antennas
Bread machines
Candles or incense
Ceiling fans
Chain locks or dead-bolt locks
Explosives, firearms, fireworks, gasoline and other combustible liquids
Immersion coils, oil lamps, space heaters or halogen lamps
Waterbeds
Weapons

Live cut Christmas trees are not permitted in the Building or any Room except with the prior written consent of Lessor.

Safety and Security

The Lessor cannot guarantee the safety and security of Tenants, and their Authorized Occupants, guests and invitees. Tenants are responsible for their personal security and that of their belongings within the Room and the Building.
Tenants and their Authorized Occupants, guests and invitees may not engage in any activity which creates a safety risk or which jeopardizes the security of the Building or other Tenants and their Authorized Occupants, guests and invitees. For safety reasons the roofs (except for recreational roof terraces), porches, fire escapes (except in the case of an emergency requiring emergency egress), window ledges, unfinished attics and mechanical equipment rooms of the Building are restricted areas and may not be accessed.
Individuals observed in the hall who are not Tenants or their Authorized Occupants, guests or invitees should be reported immediately to the Lessor’s representative or the police. All individuals who are not Tenants or their Authorized Occupants, guests or invitees staying in the Building beyond a reasonable time for visitation constitute trespassers and may be removed by Lessor with or without police assistance.
No Tenant shall allow any guest or invitee to stay overnight in any common area of the Building or any vacant room.
Permanent electrical circuits cannot be altered by occupants or anyone not authorized by The Lessor.
Appliances, lamps and other electrical equipment with damaged, worn, cracked, or frayed cords and plugs must be replaced.
All lighting fixtures must use only light bulbs of type and wattage as recommended by the manufacturer. Lamp shades must also meet manufacturer specifications for the specific fixture.
Electrical cords or other communication cables may not be installed under carpets, hung over nails or run through doorways and windows.
The following are prohibited in Rooms: multi-plug adapters that are not respecting local certification standards (the type that are affixed directly to the wall outlet), cube adapters, unfused power strips or items such as air fresheners that include an outlet on them.
Grounded relocatable power taps or “surge protector strips” with heavy duty cords and a “reset” switch will be the only allowable receptacle extensions from wall outlets. Each power tap will be connected directly into a wall receptacle and they shall not be plugged into one another.
Non-fused extension cords and flexible cords are prohibited in the Room and Building.
Open flames (from any source) and burning materials of any kind are absolutely prohibited in the Room and the Building.
The integrity of all ceilings, floors and walls must remain intact and not be disturbed. Also, light fixtures must have proper globe or deflector in place. Any open bulb fixtures are a fire hazard and should be reported.
Additional wall coverings (e.g., paneling, wallpaper, etc.) must not be installed by Tenants or their Authorized Occupants.
Candles and incense are prohibited in the Room and the Building, even if such items are unlit or being used for decorative purposes only.
No more than 10% of a Room’s wall surface area may be covered by potentially flammable objects. This includes but is not limited to posters, framed pictures, photos, flags, tapestries or any other decorative objects that are mounted on the wall. Tenants in Rooms that surpass this 10% level may be required to remove items as necessary. In addition, wall hangings cannot contact electrical outlets or come closer than 12 inches to any heating Room. All ceiling decorations are prohibited.
Only authorized window coverings may be used by Tenants and their Authorized Occupants and must carry a recognized fire rating and be constructed of fire retardant material. No sheets, towels, flags or other materials may be used as window coverings.
Living areas must be kept uncluttered and access to the doors clear. Hallways and stairways must remain clear and unobstructed.
Fire doors and all doors equipped with an automatic closing system should not be maintained open under any circumstances.
At no time may the maximum capacity restrictions of a Room or the Building (twice the number of inhabitants of the house) be exceeded.
The extinguishers can only be used in case of fire in the house. If they are used for any other reasons the lessor shall have the authority to assess and assign charges for these damages.
In case of fire or gas leak, the Tenant shall call the Fire Department (see phone number displayed in the house) as soon as possible before calling Baba Brussels.

Any violation of the foregoing safety and security rules shall be corrected by Tenant immediately upon notice. Any continuing violation after notice shall constitute a Tenant default of the Lease.

Smoke-Free

The Room and the Building are smoke-free (including electronic cigarettes). Tenants and their guests must refrain from smoking at any time if they are physically present in the Room and other parts of the Building. Any resulting cost for the Lessor will be directly billed to the Tenant.

Storage

The Lessor does not provide storage for use by Tenants unless specified on the Baba website for the Building. Nothing may be stored in any area outside of the Tenant’s Room.

Capacity Numbers

Based on fire safety no Tenant shall exceed the maximum legal capacity of any Room or his or her exclusive use Room (twice the number of inhabitants of the Room). Tenants and their Authorized Occupants may only have parties in the common areas on the ground floor and basement (not in their Rooms or staircase) and keep the noise to the maximum authorized level.

The Lessor accepts no responsibility with regard of any problems occurring as a result of exceeding capacity.

Decorations Policy

Tenants are permitted to decorate their Rooms as long as they adhere to the following policies:

Detectors, sprinklers, fire alarms and light fixtures must remain uncovered. Tenants must not drape or attach decorations to these items.
Decorations must not obstruct hallways, fire exits, exit signs and access to fire safety equipment.
All light bulbs and light strings generate enough heat to ignite paper and cloth. Tenants must ensure that light bulbs and light strings do not come into contact with anything flammable.
String lights or light ropes can be used to decorate Tenant’s exclusive use Rooms. Decorative lights must either be plugged directly into an outlet or into a surge protector. Tenants may run decorative light strings in series up to 3 strings per outlet. The use of string lights in public areas is prohibited.
No crimping of cords may occur, or no cords shall be placed under doorways or windows.
For everyone’s safety, lights must be turned off when the area is unattended.
Use of live garland, greenery, wreaths, leaves, twigs, bamboo, branches, hay or sand as decoration is prohibited.
Floors must not be covered with any material other than carpet or rugs.
Decorations placed in the Room but outside of an Tenant’s exclusive use Room shall be consented to by each Tenant of the Room.
Tenants and their Authorized Occupants may not paint their rooms in any other color, or add murals or border designs to their Room walls or ceilings, including their exclusive use Rooms.

The Lessor accepts no responsibility for damage caused by electric devices which belong to Tenants and set by them in their Room.

The common spaces and configuration of the premises have been thought by designers specialized in the community living concept. If Tenants wish to move large furniture for practicality or other reasons, it is suggested to the Tenants to contact the Lessor to discuss together how to rethink those spaces.

Heating Policy

The heating equipment’s settings provided by the Lessor enable the Building to be heated to a temperature between 19°Celcius and 21°Celcius, which the Tenant acknowledges to be a sufficient temperature.
The heating is switched off every year from 1^st of April to 1^st of October.
For purposes of sustainability and energy savings, it is forbidden for the Tenants to adjust thermostatic valve settings. More specifically, Tenants must not set the valve to its position/mark “5”.

Quiet Hours, Noise, Vibration and Odors

No Tenant shall make or permit any disturbing noises, vibration, odors or conduct activities in the Room or the Building, nor do or permit anything by such persons that will constitute a nuisance to or interfere with the rights, comforts, or convenience of other Tenants, Authorized Occupants, and their guests and invitees.
No musical instruments, television, radio, CD player, video games, loud speakers or similar devices shall be used in Tenant’s Room between the hours of 10:00 PM and 8:00 AM. During those hours, the conservations’ noise level must not increase beyond a reasonable level, in the Room or the Building or outside the premises.

Food

Tenants shall respect the individual food storage spaces of each Tenant and not consume the foods or drinks belonging to another Tenant.
Tenants are responsible for not letting the food rot. Any rotten food may be thrown away in order to keep the premises clean and to avoid pests such as mice and ants in the house.

The food should remain in a storage to avoid pests such as mice and ants in the house.

Substance-Free

Consumption of illegal drugs or substance (including smoking) is not permitted anywhere in the Building or immediately in front of the Building.
Moderate and lawful consumption of alcohol is permitted within the Room and in common areas of the Building designated for social activities and gathering of Tenants and their Authorized Occupants.
The Lessor accepts no responsibility for any incident resulting directly from consumption of illegal drugs or substance or alcohol.

Bicycles and motorized vehicles

Tenants and their Authorized Occupants, guests and invitees must store their bicycles in areas of the Building designated for bicycle storage, if any. Bicycles may not be left in the lobby, hallways, laundry room, maintenance rooms or any other common area of the Building.
There is no moto storage or parking space provided for within the Building premises. If Tenants wish to park their motorized vehicles within the Building premises, they should contact the Lessor to discuss together how – and if possible – to set up such a parking space. In any case, motorized vehicles may only be parked within the Building premises so long as they do not obstruct the passage and with the permission of other Tenants.
The Lessor is not responsible for any damage or theft to the bicycles or motorized vehicles.

Appropriate behaviour

Tenants shall behave appropriately and avoid to perform any acts inconsistent with public morals and decency anywhere in the Building.
Inclusion and diversity are the key to a friendly environment. Tenants should respect cultural differences of any kind. Sexist, homophobic, racist or, more generally inappropriate and/or intolerant, jokes and/or remarks are not tolerated.
Physical, verbal and sexual violence are strictly prohibited. Any Tenant implicated in a fight may be evicted by the Lessor within 15 days. In case of imminent threat to a Tenant’s security or anyone’s security, the other Tenants shall contact the police (see emergency phone numbers displayed in the house) before calling Baba Brussels.

Costs of Enforcement

In the event legal action is required to enforce the provisions of these House Rules or the Lease, Lessor shall have the right to seek damages and/or equitable remedies (including eviction of the Tenant and his or her Authorized Occupants), and in such event the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover reasonably incurred attorneys’ fees and other related costs.