Is Airbnb making it harder to find a flat in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent?
If you are looking for a long-term rental in Bruxelles, Anvers or Gand, the practical takeaway is this: short-stay platforms are not the only reason rents feel tight, but they do remove real homes from the ordinary market in the neighbourhoods where newcomers most often search. An ING Belgium analysis, reported by L'Echo, La Libre and BX1, estimates that Airbnb alone keeps 4,648 entire homes out of regular residential supply across the three cities: 2,724 in Brussels, 1,304 in Antwerp and 620 in Ghent. ING frames that as about 0.8% of the rental stock affected, while warning that the share would likely be higher if Booking.com, Expedia and other platforms were included. For tenants, the message is less dramatic but more useful: treat short-let density as one more pressure point when choosing a commune or gemeente, and check both the rental market and local rules before assuming a flat listed online is legally available.
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About this story
The subject is the pressure created by short-term tourist rentals on Belgium's urban housing market, especially in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent. Airbnb is the best-known platform, but the wider category includes furnished stays advertised on booking platforms for periods that can be as short as one night. In Brussels, Bruxelles Economie et Emploi says anyone offering a room, apartment or house on Airbnb or Booking.com for one night to 90 days must register the tourist accommodation before operating; unregistered operation is illegal for both individuals and companies. In Flanders, tourist accommodation rules are handled through the Flemish authorities and matter for hosts in Antwerpen and Gent. The everyday consequence is practical: a dwelling that could house a student, EU worker, family or newly arrived employee may instead be managed as a revolving short stay.
How to read this story
The history
European cities have spent the past decade trying to separate occasional home-sharing from professionalised short-let activity. The original promise of platforms such as Airbnb was spare-room income and flexible travel. The urban reality became more mixed: some listings are genuinely occasional, while others are entire homes operated much like hotel stock without always carrying the same planning, safety or neighbourhood obligations. Belgium's federal structure adds complexity. Housing, tourism and local enforcement are split across regions, communities and municipalities, so the rules a host encounters in Brussels are not identical to those in Antwerp or Ghent.
Regional impact
The impact is strongest in Brussels because the estimated number of whole homes removed from the ordinary market is largest there: 2,724, according to ING figures reported by BX1. Antwerp follows with 1,304 and Ghent with 620. For Brussels residents, the relevant authority is Bruxelles Economie et Emploi; for Antwerp and Ghent, hosts and tenants should look to the Flemish tourist-accommodation framework and their gemeente.
Local impact
For a renter choosing between Ixelles, Saint-Gilles, Schaerbeek, Antwerp centre or Ghent's inner districts, the practical move is to widen the search early, ask whether a listing is a standard lease, and verify registration rules if the flat is offered as a temporary furnished stay. Hosts in Brussels should start with Bruxelles Economie et Emploi and MyBEE; hosts in Antwerp and Ghent should check Vlaanderen.be and their gemeente.
International angle
Belgium's debate mirrors wider European arguments in cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona and Paris, where authorities are trying to preserve residential housing without eliminating legitimate tourism accommodation. The common challenge is data: cities need to know which listings are occasional home-sharing and which are effectively permanent hotel-style stock.
What this means for you
Checklist for readers: 1. If renting, confirm whether the contract is a residential lease or a short-stay/furnished arrangement. 2. In Brussels, check commune names in both languages, such as Ixelles/Elsene and Saint-Gilles/Sint-Gillis, when searching rules and listings. 3. If hosting, consult Bruxelles Economie et Emploi or Vlaanderen.be before publishing an ad. 4. If relocating, budget for temporary accommodation but start the long-term search before arrival, especially in September and January.
Opposing perspectives
- Tenants, housing advocates and communes
Tenants' groups, some municipal officials and neighbourhood associations argue that whole-home short lets remove exactly the kind of small, central flats needed by students, mobile workers and lower-income residents. Their concern is practical rather than symbolic: even a modest percentage of housing stock can matter when vacancies are scarce and viewings attract dozens of applicants.
- Hosts, property owners and tourism businesses
Hosts and property owners argue that short-term rental income can help households manage mortgage costs, support tourism and make use of homes during temporary absences. They often distinguish occasional home-sharing from professional operators and warn that overly broad restrictions could punish compliant residents while leaving deeper housing-supply problems unresolved.
- ING Belgium's economic reading
ING's position, as reported by Belgian media, sits between the two. The bank's analysis says Airbnb contributes to market tension, especially in the three large cities studied, but that focusing only on platforms misses the larger shortage of suitable homes, high construction costs and the need for stable investment conditions.
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.