Kot Essentials Checklist 2026: What Belgian Students Actually Need to Bring
Landing a kot in Brussels, Leuven, Ghent, Antwerp or Liège is the easy part. What catches most first-year students off guard is what's not included: your kot almost always comes with a bed frame and maybe a desk, but not a single sheet, towel, or pillowcase. Belgian student housing platforms are explicit about this — you're expected to bring your own mattress protector, bedding, pillows and towels from day one.
This checklist covers exactly what you need, in what sizes, and how to get it all sorted in one order instead of five separate trips.
What's in this guide
- Bedding essentials for a standard kot bed
- Bathroom essentials for shared or private facilities
- Belgian kot bed sizes explained
- Budget vs complete setup
- Move-in day checklist
Why Your Kot Doesn't Come With Bedding
Most Belgian kots — whether through university housing platforms like Kotwijs, Kotatgent, or private landlords — rent the room and basic furniture only. Sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases and towels are considered personal items, the same way you'd bring your own clothes. This is standard across Leuven, Ghent, Brussels, Liège, Namur, and every other Belgian university city.
The upside: you get to pick bedding that actually suits you, rather than whatever came with a furnished room. The downside: it's one more thing to sort in an already overwhelming moving week.
Bedding Essentials for Your Kot
1. A Fitted Sheet That Actually Fits
Most kot beds are Belgian single size (90×200cm), though some student studios use double beds. Always check your specific bed dimensions before ordering — a sheet that's too small will pop off the corners within a week of restless studying and late-night scrolling.
Our Jersey Cotton Fitted Sheet 160 GSM is a favourite for kots: knit cotton that's forgiving on thinner kot mattresses, machine washable, and OEKO-TEX® certified. If you want something crisper, the Cotton Fitted Sheet T144 offers a classic percale feel at a similarly student-friendly price.
2. A Duvet Cover (Not Just a Duvet)
Bring your own duvet cover even if the kot provides a duvet insert — landlords rarely do, and even when they do, you'll want your own for hygiene and personal taste. Our Cotton Duvet Cover Set Dyed comes with a matching pillowcase included, which saves you buying pieces separately.
3. Pillowcases (Bring at Least Two)
Belgian pillows are standard 65×65cm. Having two pillowcases in rotation means you're never caught out on wash day. The Cotton Pillow Cases Dyed 65x65cm are fade-resistant, which matters when you're washing them weekly in a shared laundry room.
Bathroom Essentials for Kot Life
Whether your kot has a private bathroom or you're sharing a “commu” bathroom down the hall, you'll want your own towels — shared facilities are not the place to be caught without one.
- A bath towel for showering — our Cotton Bath Towel 600 GSM is thick enough to feel like a proper towel, not a dorm-room afterthought.
- A hand towel or two from the Cotton Towels 500 GSM range for the bathroom sink and kitchen.
- A wash glove — a small but genuinely useful addition; see our Cotton Wash Gloves.
Budget Setup vs Complete Setup
If you're working with a tight moving-in budget (which, let's be honest, is most students), a bundle works out cheaper than buying each piece separately and saves you comparing five product pages at 11pm the night before you move.
💰 Budget pick: The Budget Kot Bundle pairs a jersey fitted sheet with a pillowcase set at a flat 15% below buying each item separately — ideal if you just need the basics covered fast.
🛍 Complete setup: The Kot Starter Bundle covers sheet, duvet set and a towel in one order — the closest thing to a “done in one click” kot setup.
Move-In Day Checklist
- ☐ Fitted sheet (check your bed size first)
- ☐ Duvet cover + matching pillowcase
- ☐ Spare pillowcase for wash-day rotation
- ☐ Bath towel
- ☐ Hand towel
- ☐ Wash glove (optional but handy)
- ☐ Mild, eco-friendly detergent for that first wash before you sleep on anything new
Why OEKO-TEX® Matters Even More in Shared Housing
Kot life means shared laundry facilities, secondhand furniture, and a lot of unknowns about what's touched your mattress before you moved in. OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certification means every ZM Textiles product has been independently tested for over 100 harmful substances — one less thing to worry about when you're settling into a new place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Belgian kots come with bedding included?
Almost never. Kots typically include a bed frame and sometimes a desk, but bedding, towels and pillows are considered personal items you bring yourself, the same as clothing.
What size fitted sheet do I need for a kot bed?
Most kot beds use the Belgian single size, 90×200cm. Always measure your actual mattress before ordering, since some studios and private kots use larger beds.
Is it worth buying a bundle instead of separate pieces for a kot?
Yes, if you need multiple items at once — our kot bundles are priced 15% below buying each piece separately, and it means one delivery instead of several.
How many towels should I bring to a kot?
At minimum one bath towel and one hand towel. If your kot has shared bathroom facilities, having a spare in rotation makes wash days much less stressful.
Can I get kot bedding delivered before move-in day?
Yes — we offer free delivery in Belgium on orders over €39, including bundles, so you can have everything ready before you even arrive.
Settle In Faster
Moving into a kot is stressful enough without hunting down five separate bedding pieces from five different shops. Sort your essentials in one order, get OEKO-TEX® certified quality that'll actually last the academic year, and focus on the parts of moving in that are actually exciting.
Have a question about sizing for your specific kot bed? Contact our team — we're happy to help you get it right the first time.