Despite considerable investments made in social housing in the capital in recent years, the number of people on the waiting list for social housing in Brussels has never been larger. The political impasse, more than 1.5 years since the elections Brussels is still without a new regional government and financial issues mean that the contruction of new social housing could grind to a complete halt. The daily ‘De Standaard’ reports that this could have far reaching implications for thousands of families in our capital city.
At the end of 2025 there were 62,234 families and individuals on the waiting list for social housing in Brussels. This is a record and accounts for 10% of the total number of households in the Brussels Capital Region. Depending of the type of accommodation that is being sought the average length of time spent on the waiting list is between 9 and 13 years.
This is despite considerable investments made by the regional authorities between 2020 and 2024. 2,000 new social housing units became available, bringing the total to 42,000. Meanwhile, 7,500 units (houses and flats) were renovated. Between 2020 and 2024 the regional government invested around 2 billion euro in social housing in Brussels.
However, during the same period the waiting list grew by 35%. The Brussels Regional Housing Company (BGHM) says that this reflects a social reality in the capital, where more and more people are confronted with financial problems and with rising rents on the private rental market.
Currently, half the households that live in Brussels fulfil the criteria for entitlement to social housing. BGHM says that in addition to the building of new houses and flats, better guidance is needed to help tenants currently in social housing to move and make room for others.
Political impasse
The building of new social housing is now under threat due to the political impasse. New social housing projects have been put on hold evening if they already have planning permission. Meanwhile, the outgoing Regional Secretary of State Nawal Ben Hamou’s (Francophone socialist) decision to leave the Brussels regional government to become a City of Brussels Alderman threatens to further undermine things.
On top of this are the serious budget issues faced by the Brussels-Capital Region. The region is 14.5 billion euro in the red and has an annual budget deficit in excess of 1 billion euro. Cuts and saving are being made across the board and BGHM has already been forced to sell almost 200 million euro’s worth of real estate, including near-completed social housing projects. While these might by sold below market price to families on modest incomes they will not be rented out as social housing.
Organisations and housing pressure groups say that a housing crisis is looming in Brussels. Demand for affordable housing is rising, while the supply of this kind of housing is falling.