The Brussels Court of Appeal convicted Arnold and Manu Appeltans and their company Arlimo for abusive rental and rental of unsanitary housing in Leuven.
On Thursday, the father and son were sentenced to a suspended 40 month prison sentence and fined €1.88 million, half of which was suspended. The company Arlimo was fined €1.56 million, half of which was also suspended.
Manu Appeltan's mother, Lizzy S., was found guilty of renting out unsanitary housing, resulting in an €80,000 fine, half of which was suspended.
The Brussels Court of Appeal also seized six buildings and confiscated approximately €2.4 million.
The public prosecutor's office opened an investigation in 2018 into the Appeltans family, which has specialised in managing student housing since the 1980s. In total, 51 of the 56 inspected apartments failed to meet standards, and the number of victims reached 96.
Some apartments were so dilapidated that they suffered from dampness and mould growth, excrement in the stairwells, and heating problems during the winter.
The three family members, as well as the company, had already been found guilty of renting out unsanitary housing in June 2024 by the Leuven Criminal Court.
