House left vacant for 10 years seized by commune for first time

The municipality of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre has taken control of a private rental property for the first time at the request of Brussels Housing, citing the reason that it had been vacant for too long.

The property will now be rented out for a minimum of nine years – “a measure to urge landlords with vacant properties to take action”, said Mathieu Nguyen, a spokesperson for Brussels' outgoing state secretary for housing Nawal Ben Hamou (PS).

Since 2022, landlords may be required to temporarily surrender their empty rental property to the municipality through the renewed public management right. The rule aims to encourage landlords to offer their properties on the rental market and not leave them empty.

“Because we have a housing crisis in Brussels, very many Brussels residents are struggling to find rental housing,” said Nguyen.

The system allows municipalities and CPASs to temporarily take charge of vacant or degraded housing, renovate it and rent it out at a reduced rent. The region advances the cost of refurbishment for a maximum of €1,100 per square metre.

According to Nguyen, the property will then be reserved for people who are currently renting a unit in poor condition, and they will pay a favourable rental rate for a minimum of nine years or more.

During the lease, the region will recover the renovation costs incurred through rental fees. Once those costs are repaid, the original owner can get their property back.

The measure only comes at the end of a process in which the owner, in collaboration with Brussels Housing's vacancy unit, is urged to put the property back on the market.

“The aim is not for the region to really become a player on the rental market. This measure serves as a stick to encourage owners to put their property on the market,” Nguyen added.

The property in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre had been vacant since 2014 and the procedure was initiated in April 2023, more than a year after the adoption of the public management law reform.

After a site visit by the Regional Land Directorate, a proposal for public management right was transmitted to the owner, to which there was no response. According to Ben Hamou's office, the owner finally agreed to the proposal after being put in default, so it was not a forced seizure.

About 50 more similar cases are currently being processed.

“These are spread all over the region and are at different stages, because this procedure takes quite some time,” said Nguyen.

“We are not going to rush. We are working through the pending files step by step.”