Hasselt's new 'budgethuren': can it help middle earners squeezed out of Flanders' housing market?
Hasselt, the capital of Limburg, is launching a 'budgethuren' (budget renting) scheme aimed at households that earn too much to qualify for a social home yet too little to compete comfortably on the private rental market.
In 30 seconds
- Hasselt, capital of Limburg, is launching 'budgethuren' — budget renting for households that earn too much for social housing but too little for the private market, per VRT NWS.
- The homes are let below market rent but above social-housing levels, with access means-tested within a defined income band.
- Allocation runs through the city and its local woonmaatschappij, within the Flemish regional framework overseen by Wonen in Vlaanderen.
- Flanders merged social housing companies (SHMs) and social rental agencies (SVKs) into local woonmaatschappijen in 2023.
Budgethuren (budget renting) is a middle-segment rental model launched by the city of Hasselt for households whose income is too high to qualify for a social home yet too low to compete easily on the private rental market. Rents sit below market rate but above social-housing levels, and eligibility is means-tested within an income band. It is administered locally by the city and its 'woonmaatschappij' (the local housing company created by Flanders' 2023 merger of social housing companies and social rental agencies), within a framework overseen by the Flemish housing agency Wonen in Vlaanderen. Named entities: City of Hasselt; VRT NWS; Wonen in Vlaanderen; woonmaatschappij; Huurdersbond.
Background
Flanders has long run a two-track housing system: heavily subsidised social housing for lower incomes, with waiting lists stretching to years, and an open private rental market for everyone else. The 2023 reform merging social housing companies (SHMs) and social rental agencies (SVKs) into single local 'woonmaatschappijen' reshaped how housing is allocated, and rising rents through the 2020s widened the gap for middle earners. Budgethuren is a municipal response to that structural gap, echoing the wider European rediscovery of 'middle' or 'affordable' housing between welfare and market.
What to do
To pursue budgethuren in Hasselt: confirm your income sits within the required band (above the social-housing ceiling, below the budget-rent limit); expect residency/registration conditions favouring people connected to the city; and apply through the official channel at hasselt.be and the local woonmaatschappij, not private listing sites. Verify current thresholds via Wonen in Vlaanderen, as of mid-2026, since regional figures change. Note that all forms and info are in Dutch; the Huurdersbond can advise tenants.
Impact
Regional — Directly relevant to Hasselt and the wider Limburg housing market, where a provincial-capital squeeze has left middle earners with few affordable options. It also serves as a test case for other Flemish cities weighing similar middle-segment rental schemes.
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