The strict controls by authorities in Brussels have led to a significant contraction of the short-term rental market, as nearly one in four listings on Airbnb has disappeared within a year.
According to data from the Inside Airbnb platform, approximately 1,500 homes and rooms have been removed from Airbnb from June 2025 to date, with the total number of listings decreasing from 6,171 to 4,750. This development is attributed to the intensification of controls by the Brussels tax administration (Brussels Fiscality), which imposed approximately 1,900 fines and retroactive tourist tax charges last summer, with a total value estimated between 1.5 and 2 million euros.
The spread of short-term rentals had been at the center of the debate regarding the Belgian capital’s housing crisis in recent years. A study by Vrije Universiteit Brussel showed that rents increased faster in neighborhoods with a greater presence of Airbnb, while ING estimates mention approximately 3,000 homes that have been withdrawn from the conventional housing market.
The Forest area recorded the largest decrease, with listings falling by 35.8%, followed by Uccle and Etterbeek with a drop of about 34%. Even in the City of Brussels, where the largest number of the platform’s properties are concentrated, listings decreased by 15%. The data shows that listings of entire homes, which make up about three-quarters of the market, decreased by 24%, while available private rooms fell by 20%.
Why controls are not a “magic solution” for housing
Brussels has established registration and taxation obligations for tourist rentals since 2016; however, their implementation remained limited for years, as authorities struggled to identify owners operating through digital platforms. The picture changed when Airbnb transmitted data to the tax administration, enabling the identification of non-compliant lessors.
Despite the significant reduction in listings, the housing crisis in the city has not been defused. Rents continue to move at high levels, the lack of affordable housing remains acute, and tens of thousands of households are still on waiting lists for social housing.
Analysts point out that even if all the homes withdrawn from Airbnb returned immediately to the long-term market, they would only cover a small part of the city’s real housing needs.
At the same time, the market continues to exhibit strong characteristics of professional exploitation. According to Inside Airbnb, more than 50% of active listings are controlled by hosts who own more than one property, which shows that professional investors still dominate a large part of the short-term rental market.
Experts, however, emphasize that Airbnb is not the sole cause of the housing crisis in Brussels. Limited construction activity, chronic underinvestment in social housing, the rise in land prices, inflation, and the increased cost of borrowing continue to burden the housing market.
