Housing: EUR 400M for the SLRB, 1,000 public housing units

Coalition Agreement: Announced Commitments

The agreement of 12 February 2026 provides for a massive unlocking for housing:

• SLRB: injection of EUR 400 million
• 1,000+ public housing units over the parliamentary term
• Be Home doubled: 160 → EUR 320/month
• Renolution replaced by zero-interest loans (EUR 200 million envelope until 2029)
• Brownfield sites:
  • Wiels, Avijl, Donderberg: preserved
  • 18-month moratorium: Keyenbempt, Calevoet, Josaphat, Meylemeersch
  • Chant des Cailles + Dames Blanches: confirmed
  • Neo (Heysel): relaunched
• Simplification of urban planning procedures

These commitments address the inherited structural crisis (62,234 households waiting, Housing Fund at a standstill, sharply rising rents). Their implementation will need to be monitored, particularly the SLRB's absorption capacity and the effective replacement of Renolution by zero-interest loans.

Clearing the Renolution backlog

In February 2026, EUR 56 million was released to clear the outstanding Renolution applications:

• EUR 50 million via Urban.Brussels + EUR 6 million via Leefmilieu Brussel
• 2,692 applications already validated (~EUR 41 million)
• 600+ applications still to be processed by mid-2026
• All payments to be completed before end of 2026
• The new zero-interest loan system will take over from 2027 (EUR 66 million/year envelope)

Zero-interest loan: accessibility concerns

The replacement of Renolution premiums with a zero-interest loan raises concerns. All Brussels homes must reach EPC label E by 2033, but the details of the new mechanism are not yet defined (clarification expected by January 2027 according to building federation Embuild).

Embuild considers premiums and loans should be complementary and fears a massive postponement of renovations until 2032 if the scheme is not attractive enough. A professor of tax law at VUB warns that the lower middle class risks being excluded: a loan, even at zero interest, requires repayment capacity that modest households lack. The mechanism is described as "budget-neutral" for the Region, but at the cost of shifting the risk to households.

Rents 2025: all communes above EUR 1,000

The full Federia 2025 barometer confirms the generalised rent increase across the Brussels Region: +3.7% year-on-year for all property types. The average house rent now exceeds EUR 2,000/month. Notably, all 19 communes now show an average rent above EUR 1,000, with Jette as the cheapest commune at EUR 1,036/month.

The contraction of the rental supply (−10% leases signed in 2024 despite high demand) amplifies the upward pressure. The 20% threshold above the reference rent, which has constituted a presumption of abuse since 1 May 2025, will be tested in this context of scarcity.

Source: RTBF / Federia (5 March 2026).

Interregional comparison by URC (IBSA, April 2026)

Published on 22 April 2026, the Brussels Studies Fact Sheet No. 216 from IBSA analyses housing prices by urban residential complex (URC) — functional urban catchment areas that extend beyond regional borders. The Brussels URC reaches beyond the 19 municipalities and includes parts of Flemish and Walloon Brabant (as far as Ath, Hannut and Londerzeel).

Key findings for rents in 2024:

• Median apartment rents in the Brussels URC: +3% year-on-year
• +12% more expensive than in Flemish URCs (Antwerp, Ghent)
• +27% more expensive than in Walloon URCs (Liège, Charleroi)
• On the purchase market, the Brussels URC is 53% above the rest of Flanders and 153% above Wallonia for houses

This comparison by urban catchment complements the regional and communal averages (Federia, Statbel): it shows that the Brussels premium is driven as much by the city's position as a dominant economic pole as by urban structure.

Source: IBSA — Brussels Studies Fact Sheet No. 216, April 2026. Confidence: official.

Asbestos in the Machtens towers in Molenbeek (March 2026)

The two Machtens towers in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean (approximately 200 social housing units in total, ~100 per tower) face a dual problem of asbestos and mould. Residents on the upper floors have been relocated for fire safety reasons, whilst those on the lower floors remain in place with instructions not to drill or sand the walls.

The towers are scheduled for demolition, but no concrete rehousing plan has been communicated to residents. The situation illustrates the challenges facing the Brussels social housing stock, which suffers from both ageing infrastructure and chronic underinvestment.

Source: La Libre (9 March 2026).

Energy performance: 32% of energy-guzzling homes (March 2026)

According to an analysis by Immoweb and Belfius (March 2026), 32% of homes for sale in Brussels carry an EPC label F or G (energy-guzzling) — the worst ratio of the three regions (Flanders: 22%, Wallonia: 26%). Conversely, only 29% of Brussels homes for sale display a favourable label (A, B or C), compared to 66% in Flanders and 38% in Wallonia.

Brussels regulations require that F and G-labelled homes must disappear by 2033. However, the current renovation pace would need to be multiplied by nearly four to meet this deadline. Renovation credits have risen by +51% between 2023 and 2025, but the volume remains insufficient.

The replacement of Renolution premiums with zero-interest loans (decided in February 2026) raises concerns: a loan, even interest-free, requires repayment capacity that modest households lack — risking the exclusion of the lower middle class from the renovation process.

Source: BRUZZ / Immoweb-Belfius (March 2026).

Residential attractiveness: a paradigm to rethink

A study by Brussels Studies (no. 172, Berns, Lenel, Schaut & Van Hamme, 2022), based on Statbel data (residential trajectories 2001-2015) and 99 qualitative interviews, challenges 30 years of Brussels residential attractiveness policy.

Key findings:

• Middle-class families with children represent only ~15% of departures — this is not the dominant profile of the exodus
• 40% of leavers return to the region where their parents came from ("residential socialisation")
• 46% of households leaving Brussels remain tenants at destination — home ownership does not retain them
• The migration balance has been structurally negative for decades
• Paradoxically, a greener environment correlates with higher emigration

The thesis: attractiveness policy targets the wrong public (middle-class families) with the wrong tools (home ownership support). The authors propose redirecting towards populations suited to dense urban environments: single-parent households, elderly persons, intellectual middle classes, populations in life transitions.

Source: Brussels Studies no. 172 (DOI: 10.4000/brussels.6192), October 2022.

Audit of the Saint-Josse Social Letting Agency (March 2026)

On 22 March 2026, during budget presentations, the Secretary of State for Housing announced the submission of an audit on the Social Letting Agency (AIS) of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. The audit reveals suspected irregularities and fraud in the allocation of housing. The file was referred to the Brussels public prosecutor (February 2026). Bruxelles Logement has filed a complaint and become a civil party. A law firm has been consulted. The audit itself is not public due to personal data — a legal opinion is pending.

Social Letting Agencies play a central role in Brussels' affordable housing system: they act as intermediaries between private landlords and tenants on modest incomes, with rental guarantees funded by the Region. Irregularities in the management of an AIS raise questions about the oversight mechanisms across the network of 24 Brussels Social Letting Agencies.

Sources: budget presentation in the Brussels Parliament (22 March 2026), BX1 (27 March 2026).

PFAS and Residential Areas

PFAS contamination affects residential areas in Brussels. Around the Sicli site in Uccle, a 100-metre safety perimeter prohibits consuming fruit and vegetables from gardens. TFA in drinking water exceeds the EU standard (in force since January 2026) in all 6 reservoirs. Decontamination and water treatment costs could impact residential charges.

Source: Brussels Environment, 2025-2026.

Airbnb: 90% of properties illegal (April 2026)

A BRUZZ investigation reveals that 90% of the 2,788 tourist accommodation properties listed on Airbnb in Brussels are illegal — only 267 are properly registered with the Region. The remaining ~2,500 properties operate without the required urban planning permit or registration.

The City of Brussels has been the most active in enforcement: alderman Ans Persoons (Vooruit) reported that 515 properties have been recovered from tourist rental back to the residential market. Minister-president Dilliès has promised a reform of the regulatory framework to strengthen enforcement and simplify the registration process.

The scale of illegal short-term rentals exacerbates the housing crisis by removing units from the long-term rental market, contributing to the upward pressure on rents documented above.

Source: BRUZZ (April 2026).

Foyer Anderlechtois audit: governance gaps (April 2026)

An audit of the Foyer Anderlechtois, one of the Brussels social housing companies (SISPs), reveals significant governance failures:

• 208 out of 261 invoices were awarded without a public tender procedure
• An illegal derogation committee was operating within the organisation, bypassing standard procurement rules
• General governance shortcomings in oversight and internal controls

The audit raises broader questions about the governance of Brussels social housing companies (SISPs) managed by the SLRB, at a time when the government is injecting EUR 400 million into the social housing sector.

Source: DH (April 2026).

Housing Fund: mortgage credits to resume on 1 July 2026

The mortgage loans of the Brussels-Capital Region Housing Fund — suspended since the summer of 2025 for lack of financing (banks refused to lend to the body in the absence of a regional government and a voted budget) — are expected to resume on 1 July 2026.

Announcement by State Secretary for Housing Karine Lalieux (PS) at a Brussels Parliament committee on Thursday 23 April 2026: "I confirm that from 1 July, all Fund credits and activities will resume."

Conditions: resumption depends on the granting of the regional guarantee on the financial markets. The Lalieux cabinet describes this step as "merely a formality".

Context:

• Ecoréno loans (energy renovation) had already resumed on 1 January 2026, with an interest-rate increase
• The only mortgage credits maintained during the suspension concerned the acquisition of a property built by the Fund itself (notably the Trèfles district in Anderlecht)
• 25 Fund staff had been placed on temporary unemployment due to the activity drop

Source: La DH Bruxelles (23 April 2026). Confidence: official (statement at a parliamentary committee).

Rehousing Support Allowance (ADAR) — 1 January 2026

The Rehousing Support Allowance (in French Allocation d'Accompagnement au Relogement, ADAR) came into force on 1 January 2026 and replaces the previous rehousing allowance. The old allowance will continue to be paid until the end of the current five-year period and will then be terminated without renewal.

ADAR targets households who moved to a Brussels dwelling in the previous six months, in three eligible situations:

• leaving homelessness (recipients of a CPAS/OCMW installation grant or institutional support);
• victims of violence (accredited shelter or specialised follow-up);
• previous Brussels dwelling declared unsanitary by an official decision banning it from rental.

Cumulative conditions: annual income ≤ €28,100.75, registered as a candidate tenant with a SISP/OVM, rehoused in Brussels within six months.

Amounts:

ADAR introduces a two-pillar structure (moving + rent) absent from the previous scheme. Budget impact over the legislature and expected number of beneficiaries are not yet published.

Source: be.brussels — ADAR (1 January 2026). Confidence: official.

Council of State: 3× rent income threshold upheld (ruling of 30 March 2026)

The Council of State confirmed in a ruling delivered on 30 March 2026 that a landlord may verify whether a candidate tenant has an income of at least three times the rent without this constituting wealth-based discrimination under the Brussels Housing Code.

The dispute opposed a co-owner to the Brussels Region after the Regional Housing Inspection Directorate (DIRL) had imposed a fine for rejecting an application that did not meet this threshold. The court ruled that the preparatory works of the Brussels Housing Code expressly recognise an established practice whereby the landlord may verify the candidate's payment capacity.

The ruling crystallises a filtering practice at the entry of the private rental market in a context of rental tension (median apartment rent €1,213/month, +28% since 2021) and a Brussels median income clearly below the national average. It comes alongside the property sector's appeal before the Constitutional Court against Brussels rent regulation (presumption of abuse at 20% above the reference rent, in force since 1 May 2025).

Source: BRUZZ (27 April 2026), Belga / National Owners Syndicate. Confidence: official (rank-1 decision) — ruling number to be confirmed on raadvst-consetat.be.

Lake Side (Tour & Taxis): permit delivered (2 April 2026)

Urban.brussels delivered on 2 April 2026 the planning permit for the Lake Side project (Nextensa) at Tour & Taxis — the final development phase of the site. The project represents an investment of EUR 555 million over 8 years (completion expected 2032).

The procedure lasted 3 years (since March 2023), with two public inquiries and 374 objections. The conditions imposed include reduced density and a minimum of subsidised housing. The headquarters of Proximus will move to the site from 2028.

Source: BX1 / La Libre / L'Avenir / DH / Nextensa (2 April 2026). Confidence: official (urban.brussels permit).