Following a major crackdown on illegal short-term rentals, the Brussels-Capital Region is expected to collect around €6 million in fines from unregistered Airbnb properties by the end of 2026.
At least €5 million has already been recovered through inspections carried out by Brussels Taxation in 2025 and 2026, the office of Brussels Taxation Minister Dirk De Smedt (Anders) confirmed to Bruzz. By the end of the year, the total could reach €6 million or more.
Since 2016, property owners offering accommodation through platforms such as Airbnb have been required to register their properties and pay a tourist tax. The tax amounts to €5 per overnight stay, including municipal surcharges, or €4 for rooms rented out in an owner-occupied property.
However, many landlords have continued to rent out their properties without registering them, allowing them to avoid paying the required taxes.
Following a lengthy legal battle that reached the European Court of Justice, the Brussels Region secured a ruling in its favour in 2022, requiring Airbnb to share customer information with Brussels Taxation.
Fines of €1,000 per property
Brussels Taxation launched an extensive inspection campaign targeting Airbnb hosts in 2025 and 2026. Owners of unregistered properties faced fines of €1,000 per accommodation, in addition to unpaid tourist taxes. When calculating outstanding amounts, tax authorities assumed properties had been occupied throughout the entire year unless owners could provide evidence to the contrary.
The campaign has already generated €5 million in revenue with the figure expected to increase further before the end of 2026. However, the regional authorities do not anticipate collecting additional fines from the operation in 2027, as the inspection campaign has now been completed.
According to the budget documents quoted by Bruzz, Brussels Taxation assumes that property owners have either stopped offering short-term rentals or brought their activities into compliance with tax regulations.
Rules to be relaxed from January 2027
At the initiative of Brussels Minister-President Boris Dilliès (MR), the regional government decided this summer to ease several restrictions on short-term rentals. From 1 January 2027, property owners renting out accommodation in their primary residence will no longer need an urban planning certificate. The procedure for obtaining a safety certificate will also be simplified, while written approval from the co-owners association will no longer be required.
Despite these changes, property registration and payment of the tourist tax will remain compulsory. According to the regional budget, Brussels expects to collect approximately €700,000 in tourist tax revenue in 2027.
