After a modest recovery in 2024, the Belgian real estate market saw a strong rebound in the first half of 2025. According to the Notary Federation’s (Fednot) barometer, the number of transactions rose by +16.7% nationwide, with a +8.6% increase in Brussels. Unsurprisingly, the reduction of registration duties to 3% in Wallonia led to a sharp rise in prices.

Houses:

• Belgium: €346,648 (+5.1%)
• Brussels: €576,763 (+1.2%)
• Wallonia: €270,627 (+13.4%)
• Flanders: €375,053 (+2%)

Apartments:

• Belgium: €271,994 (+0.2%)
• Brussels: €295,068 (+1.5%)
• Wallonia: €206,297 (+3.9%)
• Flanders: €281,541 (-0.4%)

The market remains more stable in Brussels than in other regions, with moderate price increases. The average price of a new apartment in the capital even dropped: €323,612 vs €360,839 in 2024.

📍 Price gaps between Brussels municipalities remain significant:

• In Uccle, the average house price exceeds €750,000
• In Molenbeek or Anderlecht, it’s around €350,000

Apartment prices per m²:

• Ixelles / Etterbeek: over €4,500/m²
• Schaerbeek / Forest: between €3,000 and €3,500/m²
  

For more detailed information on property prices in Belgium, view the notary barometer (only available in Dutch and French).

House prices

Appartment prices

Young buyers (aged 18–30) are less active in Brussels than in other regions:

• Houses: 11% of buyers (vs 12% in 2024)
• Apartments: 24% (vs 25% in 2024)

The Brussels market is dominated by apartments, which account for around 70% of transactions. The average buyer age is around 40.

The average rent in Brussels is estimated at €1,321, up 5% from 2024.
Rentals mainly concern apartments (90%).
Woluwe-Saint-Pierre remains the most expensive municipality, while Jette, Ganshoren, and Anderlecht still offer average rents below €1,000.

Most rented properties in Brussels are apartments (90%). There are still very marked price differences between the north and south of the region. The difference can be up to 500 euros between municipalities, with Woluwe-Saint-Pierre still the most expensive municipality.

Looking at the latest news, it is worth noting the obligation (temporarily, pending a court decision) to register leases twice, with both federal and regional authorities! Since 6 January 2024, tenants in Brussels now also have a pre-emptive right when the property they are renting is sold. This means that the owner is now obliged to offer the property to the tenant, who is free to make use of this pre-emptive right if they wish.

Would-be buyers have several options: private sale, public sale or online sale.
In the case of a private sale, the vendor and buyer agree the price of the property, at which point the sale is fixed. They sign a preliminary purchase agreement which, following the necessary checks, is then finalized in a notarial deed. On top of the agreed purchase price, the buyer has to pay registration duties (12.5% in Brussels), as well as notary’s fees and administrative costs, making a total of 14–15%.

Public and online sales (www.biddit.be) are auctions overseen by a notary. If accepted by the seller, the highest bid seals the purchase. Once again, you have to add a flat fee of about 14–15% to the purchase price. Not only are sales like this safe and free of surprises, they also have the advantage of being simpler and faster (in the case of an online sale, it only takes a few weeks to become the new owner).

One thing you always have to keep in mind is that, regardless of your chosen formula, as soon as you sign a preliminary agreement or submit an offer, you are making a binding commitment to the vendor. So before you embark on this adventure, you really need to know how much you can afford.

If you use the online simulation tool offered by KBC Brussels, you’ll know in just 15 minutes whether or not your project is affordable:

Various forms of assistance are in place to help you achieve your property plans in Brussels. Each one depends on your specific situation and the nature of your project. The main ones are set out below:

Still available in 2025:

• a stamp duty reduction on the first 200,000 euros of the property price.
• Potential savings:  25,000 euros (200.000 x 12.5% duty)
• Conditions: property in Brussels, main residence, no other real estate, purchase price under €600,000
  

More info: Stamp duty reduction– Brussels Taxation (fiscalite.brussels) (French)

The renovation grant system remains suspended:

• Applications for 2024 are still being processed
• 2025 grants await a decision from the future regional government
  

👉 More information on Renolution website (French/Dutch)

On 1 January 2024, definitive new VAT rules entered into force throughout Belgium.

The reduced 6% VAT rate now applies only to property work in relation to the demolition of a building and the rebuilding (or first-time building) of a residential building on the same plot, for use as the project owner’s own home or for social housing. The “social conditions” that must be met, for either five or fifteen years, under the temporary rules to qualify for the reduced VAT rate (building must be the sole dwelling owned by the project owner, have a habitable area not exceeding 200 m2, and be your home, or a residential building for social housing rental) remain in force under the definitive rules.

👉 More info: new measure for demolition-rebuilding (French)