An entire building with illegal tourist accommodation was sealed near the Grand Place in Brussels city centre on Monday. It concerned a professional who rented out four flats on Airbnb, the City of Brussels' Urban Planning Control said.
The owner has several properties in the historic centre of Brussels which he offers professionally on the Airbnb platform. Since 2017, the Brussels authorities have been sending him warnings but he continued the illegal rentals. He received more than 10 official reports.
"These practices are miles away from the original idea: an extra bed with a local resident," said Brussels city councillor for urban planning Anaïs Maes. "This way, residential units normally intended for housing are withdrawn from the regular rental market to the detriment of Brussels residents. This is unacceptable."
Using seals is a radical method, but administrative fines can also be quite high, she stressed: some businesses are fined between €300,000 and €700,000.
"With this strong signal, we want to show our determination and warn operators of illegal tourist lodgings that we do not hesitate to apply repressive methods to guarantee affordable housing in our city," Maes said.
