Domiciliation

Hi all,

First time posting on here because I'm in a rather sticky situation.

I'm currently living in Belgium doing an 8 month stage as part of my university studies in the UK. This is my first time living abroad. As far as I understand it, I need to apply for residency in Belgium because the duration of my stay is longer than 3 months.

So that I did, and it was a long, drawn-out affair trying to get ahold of translated copy of my birth certificate but I eventually got an appointment at my local commune and started the process. They said the police would come to verify I was living at the address - fair enough, I'd read it was part of the process.

But I didn't even realise this was at odds with my rental contract which states not to list the address as a primary residence. I didn't know domiciliation was a thing and that it is required for residency (isn't it?)

I've been incredibly naive - the first time I heard the phrase domiciliation was when my landlord was having a go at me down the phone for being dishonest... I understand her reasons for not wanting domiciled tenants and her concerns about taxes and she has been emailing me to say "do not open the door if they come, don't let anyone in, don't let them see you in the house" etc. It's quite scary, to be honest.

Well, my housemate answered the door to them yesterday and I felt so torn but at the end of the day, I can't exactly turn the police away and say "actually I don't live here."

I hope to rectify things with another appointment at the town hall, but Wednesday can't come soon enough. I've well and truly opened a can of worms not just for myself but for my housemates, as my landlord is saying she could well kick everyone out :(

What should I do in this situation? After all, I have breached the terms of my contract and I may have to look for alternative accommodation. If so, how can I do that, and terminate a contract early, with such short notice? Can my landlord legally invoice me and make me pay for any taxes this may incur?