On the Flemish coast, older flats have become more than 4 per cent cheaper in the space of only one year. These are energy-inefficient flats that are coming onto the market in large numbers. Energy-efficient new-builds, on the other hand, are rising in price.
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Older flats on the coast falling in price, new builds yet more expensive: ‘You can snap up some bargains!’
Colin Clapson
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Spotto, the property platform run by Flemish estate agents, analysed nearly 17,000 property search queries and noted that the gap between older properties and new builds is widening. ‘More and more older houses and flats are coming onto the market,’ says Spotto’s Maïté Maes. ‘A lot of properties on the coast are used as lets, but owners of outdated properties are getting a nasty surprise when they see the necessary renovations.’
Bargain hunting
‘From 2028, they will no longer be allowed to index-link the rents of energy-inefficient properties, and from 2030 they will not be allowed to let them at all. That is why many people now want to sell their properties.’
‘This wave of sales is creating extra supply. You can snap up bargains, provided you are willing to roll up your sleeves,’ says Maes.
West Coast in the doldrums
25 per cent of houses on the coast currently on the market have an E or F energy rating. If you buy or rent out a property like that, you are obliged to renovate it within six years. Most of the outdated homes are on the West Coast: in the resort of De Panne, 44 per cent of all houses have an E or F rating, followed by Middelkerke (33 per cent) and Koksijde (31 per cent). You’ll find fewest outdated houses on the East Coast in Knokke-Heist (20 per cent), Blankenberge (22.6 per cent) and in Bredene (23.3 per cent) on the Mid Coast.
In the flat market, 6 per cent of apartments have an EPC energy rating of E or F. This is a figure that is significantly lower than that of houses on the coast, but these flats are now coming onto the market in large numbers. The highest proportion of outdated flats is found in De Panne (13 per cent), followed by Middelkerke (9 per cent). The lowest proportion is found in Bredene and Knokke-Heist (2 per cent).
An EPC or Energy Performance Certificate rates a building's energy efficiency.
Falling prices...
The average asking price for an older house with an EPC rating of E or F on the coast fell by 2.3 per cent in 2025, from €265,000 to €259,000. For flats with EPC labels E and F, the fall was 4.2 per cent: from €190,000 to €182,000.
Energy-efficient properties are seeing a rise in asking prices. For houses with EPC grades A and B, this represents an increase of 6.7 per cent: from €402,000 to €429,000. Flats rose by 1.8 per cent: from an average of €285,000 to €290,000.
A two-tier market
“So we’re clearly seeing a two-tier market,” says Maes. "New properties are in high demand and rising rapidly in price. The gap is also widening: an energy-efficient house already costs 170,000 euros more than an older house, and an energy-efficient flat 108,000 euros more. Outdated houses also remain on the market for an average of 10 days longer."
Deciding together
Maes does, however, issue a warning. "In the case of flats that have a poor EPC, you often have to rely on the buiding’s annual general meeting to approve major energy-efficiency renovations"
"You often can’t decide on your own, because the biggest changes have to be tackled together. Just think of the outside of the building. But if you can get all the residents of the building on the same page, you can achieve significant added value through renovation," concludes Maes.