Antwerp Mayor Fines Landlord €500 Daily Over Unsafe Apartment
Antwerp’s acting mayor, Els van Doesburg (N-VA), has imposed daily fines of €500 on the owners of an uninhabitable apartment in the Seefhoek district that poses serious fire, explosion, and carbon monoxide poisoning risks to its tenants. The fines will continue to accrue each day until all dangerous conditions are resolved, according to VRT NWS.
Background: A History of Neglect
The property, a terraced house at Lange Scholiersstraat in Antwerp-Noord, was subdivided into four apartments. The first-floor unit was first declared unfit and uninhabitable by authorities in 2023. A follow-up inspection by the Flemish Housing Inspection (Vlaamse Wooninspectie) in 2024 again found serious defects, and the owners were ordered to carry out repairs.
Despite these warnings, the owners failed to take any corrective action. A recent control inspection revealed that the apartment had been reoccupied with new tenants, while the previously identified safety hazards remained completely unaddressed, the City of Antwerp confirmed in an official press release.
Severe Safety Hazards Identified
Inspectors documented multiple life-threatening conditions inside the apartment. Unsafe electrical installations created an elevated risk of fire and electrocution. Broken gas connections that had not been properly sealed posed both an explosion hazard and a heightened risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. The apartment also lacked a functioning heating system.
According to the mayor’s office, the owners “did not take any step to fix the apartment, even though they had been previously addressed about it. They also allowed new tenants into the uninhabitable property.”
The Penalty: €500 Per Day
Under the mayor’s administrative enforcement order, the owners have 14 days to complete all necessary repairs. If they fail to meet this deadline, a daily fine of €500 will be imposed until the defects are fully resolved. At this rate, non-compliance could result in fines of €15,000 per month or €182,500 per year.
“With this measure, the mayor wants not only to restore safety and livability in the neighborhood, but also to tackle poor housing quality in the priority districts,” the city’s press release stated. “This sends a clear signal that such practices will not be tolerated.”
Part of a Broader Enforcement Pattern
This case is not an isolated incident. Just over a month earlier, on May 31, 2026, Mayor van Doesburg took similar action against a property on Schoolstraat, also in Antwerp-Noord. In that case, a terraced house divided into three apartments — declared uninhabitable in 2022 and 2024 — was found to be reoccupied with new rental contracts. The mayor prohibited all occupation and imposed fines of €100 per day for failure to cancel existing leases and €5,000 for entering into new rental contracts, as documented by the city.
Both properties are located in Antwerp-Noord, a designated “aandachtswijk” (priority district) where the city focuses extra attention on housing quality, social cohesion, and public safety. These neighborhoods have a high concentration of older housing stock that is often subdivided into small apartments, making them vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous landlords.
The Mayor Behind the Crackdown
Els van Doesburg became acting mayor of Antwerp on February 24, 2025, when Bart De Wever (N-VA) stepped down to become Prime Minister of Belgium. Born in the Netherlands on May 24, 1989, she holds a master’s degree in political and social sciences from the University of Antwerp and previously served as the city’s alderman for housing, among other portfolios, according to her biography.
Her background as former housing alderman gives her direct experience with the housing quality issues she is now addressing as mayor. At 37, she is the second youngest mayor of Antwerp ever, after Florent van Ertborn.
Implications for Housing Policy
The case highlights the ongoing challenge of housing quality enforcement in Belgian cities, particularly in older, subdivided properties in working-class neighborhoods. The high daily fine — €500 — and the publicity surrounding these enforcement actions may serve as a deterrent to other landlords engaging in similar practices.
However, questions remain. The identity of the owners has not been publicly disclosed, and it is unclear whether the current tenants have been relocated or remain living in the dangerous conditions. Given the owners’ history of non-compliance since 2023, it remains to be seen whether the threat of accumulating fines will finally compel action.
What to Watch For
The 14-day repair deadline expires around July 22, 2026. If the owners fail to comply, fines will begin accruing immediately. The case also raises broader questions about the scale of housing code violations in Antwerp’s priority districts and whether additional resources are needed for enforcement and tenant protection.
For the new acting mayor, these enforcement actions demonstrate a proactive approach to a visible urban problem — one that may help define her political profile as she leads Belgium’s second-largest city.