Antwerp Mayor Els van Doesburg has ordered the closure and sealing of a flat on Bisschoppenhoflaan in Deurne for one month after a police investigation found it was being systematically used for sex workers to receive clients.
The decision follows complaints from local residents, who said the steady flow of visitors caused nuisance and left them feeling unsafe.
The first report was made in mid-May by a resident of the apartment building. Neighbours said unknown men were entering the building at different times of day, lingering in the shared areas and regularly ringing the wrong doorbells.
Residents also reported repeated lift breakdowns, which they linked to the high number of visitors.
Police found that the flat, officially rented out as tourist accommodation, was in fact being used for prostitution. Different sex workers were said to stay there regularly and receive clients at the property.
At the start of June, officers established that two women staying in the flat were advertising home visits in Antwerp on a sex advertising website. In one of the photographs, police recognised the interior of the apartment.
According to the city, the owner had personally made payments for several accounts on the website. Police therefore do not believe his claim that he was unaware of the prostitution taking place there.
The city also said the owner failed to take action after being informed by police.
The ban on renting out the flat will run from 18 August to 17 September. After that period, police will check whether the property is no longer being used for such activities.
