Is Airbnb making it harder to find a flat in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent?
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.
In 30 seconds
- ING Belgium estimates Airbnb removes 4,648 whole homes from regular supply in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent combined.
- BX1 reports the breakdown as 2,724 homes in Brussels, 1,304 in Antwerp and 620 in Ghent.
- Brussels requires tourist accommodation offered via Airbnb or Booking.com to be registered before activity starts.
- ING says the short-let effect is real but not the main cause of Belgium's affordable-housing shortage.
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.
Background
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.
What to do
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.
The Belgian angle
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.
EvidenceWell established · 2 primary sources + 3 official documents + 1 independent reporting sourceExplore evidence →Hide evidence ↑
- Published:
- 11 Jun 2026, 02:00
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This story was assembled from verified evidence, with its sources and reasoning recorded as it was written.
This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and passed Belgium Impulse source, provenance and publication-quality checks. methodology.