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Brussels exodus to Flanders reaches record proportions

Peter Dhondt/BRUZZ

Brussels exodus to Flanders reaches record proportions

New figures show a record number of people quit Brussels last year to go and live in Flanders. A total of 24,165 Brussels residents moved out. Higher property prices, but also the energy crisis explain the relocation.

73,519 people moved to a different region last year.  The highest number moved from Brussels to Flanders. Brussels antiquated property market is a further contributory factor.

"85 per cent of the 575,000 Brussels homes, were built before the 1960s," says Kristophe Thijs, communications director of real estate confederation CIB.

"The lack of space for Dutch speakers in Brussels education is also increasingly used as an argument for moving to Flanders."

"Thirty per cent of homes are not even insulated and achieve the worst possible EPC score. Two out of three Brussels homes have energy labels E, F or G. Add to this the fact that in Brussels even these energy-wasting homes are quite expensive. The average house price in Brussels is over 200,000 euros above the average price in Flanders and over 300,000 euros above the average price in Wallonia. More and more Brussels residents are choosing value for money," the industry body says.

But other factors besides purchase and energy costs are also said to be at play. "Real estate offices, hear more and more often that education and more specifically the lack of space for Dutch speakers in Brussels education is an argument for a move to Flanders."

Registration fees

According to CIB Flanders, the trend will not diminish in the coming years. The exodus of Brussels residents has been growing almost continuously for a decade. In 2012, the number of people moving from the capital to the Flemish Region was still over 7,000 lower, at around 16,800. Property taxation also makes Brussels less attractive, according to CIB Flanders.

"Not only do Brussels residents pay heavily to buy a property, they are also heavily taxed. Property registration fees are 3 per cent in Flanders and 12.5 per cent in Brussels. Brussels does provide some compensation.  From 2023, no tax will be due on the first 200,000 euros, but this appears to be no more than a drop in the ocean," says Thijs.

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