With inflation and energy costs both rising to unprecedented highs in recent months, landlords are increasingly passing costs on to tenants, resulting in painful rental hikes at times when renters are already bearing the brunt of a cost of living crisis.
This has seen the cost of renting in Brussels go up considerably; the average rental price in Brussels now stands at €1,104.
According to the Federia (federation of French-speaking real estate agents) rental barometer, published by L'Echo on Tuesday, rent in Belgium increased again in the first half of 2022.
In general, the capital remains the most costly housing area in Belgium, with flats experiencing an average 2.5% rent rise over the past six months.
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Yet although the capital remains the most expensive region in Belgium, Wallonia actually saw the greatest increase in rent prices, with the average price now €741.
Furthermore, while smaller properties have seen the greatest rises in the country (4% for flats to 7.5% for studios), detached homes and villas seem to have been far less affected by the rent increase (experiencing -0.1% and +0.5% respectively).