Figures released this week from Eurostat reveal the levels of discrimination people feel they've experienced when looking for a place to live in Europe.
The data from the EU's statistics agency shines a light on how race, income, and disability impact access to housing across the continent.
This newly released data shows Belgium as one of the worst countries in Europe for housing discrimination, and specifically for people with a disability, it is the worst.
Based on self-perceived discrimination, 5.9% of those aged 16 or over across the EU report experiencing prejudice when looking for housing in the last five years.
Belgium comes fourth in the list with 8.2% of residents reporting some level of bias, after Slovenia, Spain, and France.
Belgium is the worst country for those with disabilities looking for housing
According to Eurostat, people with a disability (defined as having some or severe limitations in activity) are more likely to feel they've experienced prejudice in Belgium when trying to find somewhere to live than anywhere else in Europe.
Nearly 15% of people with a disability in Belgium felt bias against them played a role when looking for accommodation, the highest in Europe. Across the EU, 8.3% felt the same.
In a statement to The Brussels Times, the Belgian Disability Forum said that regardless of the region, it appears that the supply of adapted and adaptable housing is too low, across both social and ordinary housing sectors.
In addition, people with disabilities who need to adapt the housing they rent in order to suit their disability rarely obtain the necessary work approvals from their landlord.
Discrimination against foreigners
For those with a foreign background in Belgium, accessing housing is also a challenge. 14% of foreigners in Belgium say prejudice, from landlords or agents, played a role when looking for housing, above the EU average of 12.6%.
Belgium comes fifth in the list, with the share larger in Slovakia, Portugal, Spain, and Estonia.
A study in June 2024 by the Dutch-speaking Free University of Brussels (VUB) shone a light on the challenge, looking specifically at Leuven. Their study found that men with non-Belgian sounding names receive fewer invitations to view rental properties.
When the same study was conducted in April 2021 it found ethnic minorities, wheelchair users, and blind people with guide dogs were less frequently invited to view properties.
EU citizens also report bias, with 8.5% saying they've experienced discrimination in Belgium when looking for housing.
How to report discrimination when looking for housing
Housing discrimination affects everyone, with 6.3% of native Belgians reporting having experienced it when looking for a place to rent.
One group in particular is worst affected, those at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Here, 17.7% report having experienced discrimination, the second highest in Europe after Slovenia.
A spokesperson for Unia, the public institution that combats discrimination, confirmed that in Belgium their primary complaints were housing cases linked to income, disability, and race.
New complaints have declined since the height of the pandemic as "the affordable rental market is so saturated that discrimination becomes harder to detect due to the intense competition," a spokesperson for Unia told The Brussels Times.
Housing discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics is illegal in Belgium. Unia has published guidance on how to collect evidence if you suspect you have been a victim. This includes recording conversations or emails, and asking a friend without a protected characteristic to do the same.
It is up to the accused person, in this case the landlord or agent, to prove they did not commit the act by providing contrary evidence. Unia provides links to report any cases and submit your evidence based on your region.
