SLRB: 1,000+ public housing units and financial consolidation

Government agreement: what changes

The agreement of 12 February 2026 provides for two structural measures for the SLRB:

• 1,000+ public housing units during the legislature, with a budget of 400 million EUR
• Financial consolidation of the SLRB, whose budgetary situation required a recovery plan

The end of the caretaker period unblocks the multi-year renovation plan and construction projects that had been frozen since June 2024.

Asset sales to settle debt

To clean up the SLRB's finances, the government has decided to sell several assets:

• "Ariane" site in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert — land to be sold
• "Palais" site in Schaerbeek — land to be sold
• ~200 social housing units to be put up for sale

These disposals aim to reduce the SLRB's debt to the Region. The 400M EUR credit line over 3.5 years is maintained to avoid cash flow difficulties, and a deconsolidation fund will be created to remove the SLRB's debt from the regional budget.

Inherited context

The SLRB coordinates social housing policy in the Brussels Region. It oversees 16 Sociétés Immobilières de Service Public (SISP) that directly manage the housing stock. With over 50,000 households on the waiting list, social housing in Brussels is under structural pressure.

The existing stock requires major renovation work — thermal insulation, compliance upgrades, and heavy renovation of dilapidated buildings. These investments require multi-year budget commitments that were impossible under caretaker government.

What was blocked (June 2024 — February 2026)

• The adoption of a new multi-year renovation plan
• Funding for new construction projects
• Arbitrations between renovating the existing stock and building new housing
• Implementation of an updated allocation policy

The SISPs continued to handle day-to-day management (maintenance, allocation according to existing lists), but all structural investment was frozen.

Issues to monitor

• Social: housing is the largest expenditure item for low-income Brussels households; the 1,000+ announced units will only cover a fraction of the 50,000 households on the waiting list
• Energy: a large proportion of the housing stock is energy-inefficient; zero-interest loans (200M EUR, replacing Renolution) could accelerate renovation
• Urban planning: several new housing projects are ready on paper and can now be launched
• Budgetary: the fiscal consolidation effort to return to balance by 2029 will determine the effective pace of investment