A few years ago, Brussels introduced fines for long-term vacant homes to address an ailing rental market, and the move appears to be yielding results, making the market less strained.
Under the Brussels Housing Code, a property is considered vacant if it has not been used for residential purposes for more than 12 months.
Several criteria can raise suspicions that a property is vacant. Addresses where no one is registered in the population register, where no tenancy agreement has been registered, or where water and electricity consumption are abnormally low.
Inflation drove rents higher in recent years, and access to home ownership for Brussels residents has been limited, resulting in a strained rental market. That is why the region introduced this legal tool in 2009, and it has been rather successful.
Over the last six years, 1,629 fines were imposed, totalling €14.4 million. This represents an average fine of roughly €8,900. The amount actually collected is lower, at €8.7 million.
"A gap exists due to delays linked to appeal procedures, recovery proceedings, as well as payment plans granted to offenders," the office of Housing Secretary of State Karine Lalieux (PS) told Belga.
"When an administrative investigation reveals a presumption of vacancy, an on-site inspection is carried out."
"The offence may be uncovered through an investigation initiated by Brussels Housing or through a complaint submitted to the administration. Only the 19 municipalities and associations recognised by the Brussels-Capital Region Government are authorised to lodge complaints," Lalieux's office added.
Twelve months of vacancy
Once a vacant property has been identified, Brussels Housing sends a warning. The owner then has three months to prove that the property is occupied or to justify the vacancy, for instance, by citing planned renovation works or a case of force majeure.
Depending on the circumstances, the file might be adjourned or set aside for new inspection the following year until the property is once again occupied.
If no justification is provided, a fine is imposed. The fine amounts to €500 (index-linked) per metre of frontage, multiplied by the number of vacant floors and by the number of years the property has remained vacant.
Brussels Housing Secretary of State Karine Lalieux. Credit: Belga/Nicolas Maeterlinck.
Results
It should be noted that some offenders have recently escaped penalties because of mistakes made by the administration.
In an appeal before the Council of State, for example, a resident had a €11,300 fine cancelled because the letter sent by the Region was not sufficiently clear about the right to be heard in their defence.
Lalieux's office said the standard letter in question has since been corrected and that deadline for appeals in other potentially affected cases has expired.
In another case, reported by La Libre, a fine issued by a civil servant who had not been sworn in was also annulled.
The measures against vacant housing appear to be bearing fruit. In 2025, 71% of files subject to an inspection following an offence recorded the previous year were closed without further action.
