The number of Airbnb listings in Brussels has fallen sharply following stronger enforcement of registration and tax rules, according to new data.
Figures from Inside Airbnb show that around 1,500 homes and rooms were removed from the platform between June 2025 and recent months. The total number of listings dropped from 6,171 to 4,750, a decline of nearly one quarter.
The reduction follows increased action by Brussels Fiscality, which stepped up efforts to enforce tourist accommodation regulations.
Last summer, the regional authority issued about 1,900 fines and retroactive tourist tax bills. Officials estimated the total value of those penalties at between €1.5 million and €2 million.
Brussels has required operators of tourist accommodation to register and meet tax obligations since 2016.
For several years, however, enforcement proved difficult because authorities had limited access to information about hosts using online rental platforms.
That changed after Airbnb provided data to Brussels Fiscality, allowing officials to identify property owners who were not complying with local regulations.
Housing experts have long argued that the rapid growth of short-term rentals has added pressure to Brussels’ housing market.
Research by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel found that neighborhoods with higher numbers of Airbnb properties experienced faster rent increases than other areas.
Separate estimates from ING suggest that about 3,000 homes have been shifted from the traditional housing market into short-term tourist accommodation.
Several parts of Brussels recorded significant declines in Airbnb listings after the latest enforcement measures.
Forest experienced the largest decrease, with listings falling by 35.8 percent.
Uccle and Etterbeek also saw sharp reductions, with both communes reporting declines of about 34 percent.
Brussels City, which has the highest concentration of Airbnb properties, recorded a 15 percent drop in listings.
Data from Inside Airbnb also show changes across different types of accommodation.
Entire homes, which account for roughly three quarters of all Airbnb listings in Brussels, declined by 24 percent.
Private room listings also decreased, falling by 20 percent during the same period.
Despite the decline, experts say the changes have not solved Brussels’ wider housing challenges.
Rental prices remain high across much of the city, while affordable housing continues to be in short supply.
Thousands of households are still waiting for access to social housing, highlighting the ongoing gap between housing supply and demand.
Analysts note that even if every Airbnb property removed from the platform returned to the long-term rental market, it would represent only a small share of the homes needed to address the housing shortage.
The latest figures also show that professional operators continue to play a major role in the city’s short-term rental market.
According to Inside Airbnb, more than half of all remaining listings are controlled by hosts advertising multiple properties.
This suggests that commercial operators still account for a large portion of the market, even after stronger regulatory enforcement.
Housing specialists also say Airbnb is only one factor affecting affordability in Brussels.
They point to several long-term challenges, including limited housing construction, years of underinvestment in social housing, rising land prices, inflation, and higher borrowing costs.
Together, these factors have made it more difficult to increase the supply of affordable homes.
The recent enforcement campaign has reduced the number of short-term rentals operating in Brussels, but experts say broader housing reforms and increased construction will be needed to improve affordability over the long term.
Authorities are expected to continue monitoring compliance with tourist accommodation rules while also addressing the city’s wider housing needs through future planning and development policies.
