Brussels collects millions in fines from illegal Airbnb rentals

The Brussels Fiscality agency is collecting approximately 6 million euros in fines from owners of illegal Airbnb rentals in the Belgian capital.

The agency launched an extensive audit of short-term rentals during 2025 and 2026. Officials issued fines of 1,000 euros for every property that lacked proper registration. The agency assumed a full year of occupancy for these properties unless owners could prove otherwise.

The cabinet of Minister of Fiscality Dirk De Smedt confirmed that the audit has already generated 5 million euros in revenue. The crackdown follows a legal victory for the Brussels Region in 2022. After a dispute reached the European Court of Justice, Airbnb began sharing customer data with the local tax authorities. Since 2016, owners have been required to pay a tourist tax of 5 euros per night, or 4 euros if the owner lives in the property.

Many owners bypassed these rules by failing to register their listings with the government. The government expects the revenue from these specific fines to peak this year and stop in 2027 because the audit of the platforms is finishing. To encourage legal compliance, the Brussels government decided to lower administrative hurdles for tourist rentals starting January 1, 2026. These changes remove the need for certain urban planning certificates and simplify safety requirements.

While these barriers are lower, the registration of the property and the payment of the tourist tax remain mandatory.