Brussels-Capital Region’s tax agency, Brussels Fiscality, announced on 23 December that it will launch a large-scale audit of some 5,000 Airbnb properties covering 2023-2025 bookings, aiming to recover an estimated €7 million in fines and €6 million in overdue tourist taxes.
The campaign follows a smaller 2024 pilot that fined 1,800 hosts for non-compliance and netted €2.8 million. Authorities say they will rely heavily on booking data handed over by Airbnb after a landmark 2022 EU Court of Justice ruling that obliges platforms to share host information with tax bodies. Inspectors will focus on undeclared professional rentals, properties lacking proper fire-safety certificates and landlords who exceed the 90-night cap without municipal consent.
For corporate-mobility managers the crackdown is more than a fiscal story: short-term rentals account for around a quarter of the temporary housing stock used for inbound assignees in Brussels, according to relocation firm Expatis. Higher compliance costs and the risk of retroactive fines could push some hosts out of the market, squeezing availability and raising rates during EU summits, trade-fair weeks and graduate-trainee intake seasons.
![Brussels Fiscality to Audit 5,000 Airbnb Listings, Putting Expat Housing Costs Under the Microscope]()
Employers are advised to review lease structures to ensure that accommodation arranged for assignees is correctly registered and taxed. Failure to do so can result in penalties being passed on to the company or even jeopardise residence-permit extensions if tax debts are flagged by local communes.
Meanwhile, companies bringing staff into Belgium might also want to get ahead of visa formalities. VisaHQ’s Brussels-based specialists (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) help corporate travellers and long-term assignees secure Belgian and Schengen visas quickly, taking care of documentation checks, consular appointments and courier logistics so mobility teams can focus on finding compliant accommodation.
The audit also dovetails with wider EU moves to rein in short-stay platforms: new Digital Services Act rules from 2026 will oblige Airbnb to verify host licences before listing properties. Brussels Fiscality hopes its proactive stance will position the region as “a European leader in fair tourism”, but industry groups warn of a potential shift of rental supply to neighbouring Flemish communes outside the capital’s jurisdiction.
The campaign follows a smaller 2024 pilot that fined 1,800 hosts for non-compliance and netted €2.8 million. Authorities say they will rely heavily on booking data handed over by Airbnb after a landmark 2022 EU Court of Justice ruling that obliges platforms to share host information with tax bodies. Inspectors will focus on undeclared professional rentals, properties lacking proper fire-safety certificates and landlords who exceed the 90-night cap without municipal consent.
For corporate-mobility managers the crackdown is more than a fiscal story: short-term rentals account for around a quarter of the temporary housing stock used for inbound assignees in Brussels, according to relocation firm Expatis. Higher compliance costs and the risk of retroactive fines could push some hosts out of the market, squeezing availability and raising rates during EU summits, trade-fair weeks and graduate-trainee intake seasons.
Employers are advised to review lease structures to ensure that accommodation arranged for assignees is correctly registered and taxed. Failure to do so can result in penalties being passed on to the company or even jeopardise residence-permit extensions if tax debts are flagged by local communes.
Meanwhile, companies bringing staff into Belgium might also want to get ahead of visa formalities. VisaHQ’s Brussels-based specialists (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) help corporate travellers and long-term assignees secure Belgian and Schengen visas quickly, taking care of documentation checks, consular appointments and courier logistics so mobility teams can focus on finding compliant accommodation.
The audit also dovetails with wider EU moves to rein in short-stay platforms: new Digital Services Act rules from 2026 will oblige Airbnb to verify host licences before listing properties. Brussels Fiscality hopes its proactive stance will position the region as “a European leader in fair tourism”, but industry groups warn of a potential shift of rental supply to neighbouring Flemish communes outside the capital’s jurisdiction.
