Brussels Compensates Property Tax Rise for Owner-Occupiers

The City of Brussels has announced that owner-occupiers will receive full compensation for the increase in additional centimes on property tax (précompte immobilier), along with an additional flat-rate reduction of 100 euros. The measure, announced Monday by Brussels Alderman for Finance Anas Ben Abdelmoumen (PS), aims to shield residents from the financial impact of the city’s fiscal reform.

As part of its 2026 budget, the City raised its additional centimes on property tax from 2,950 to 3,457. However, for owners who reside in their own property, this increase is automatically offset by a municipal premium, according to RTBF.

Automatic Compensation Without Paperwork

The compensation is applied automatically without any administrative procedure and is directly deducted and visible on the tax assessment notice (avertissement-extrait de rôle), which has been sent to property owners in the City of Brussels. On top of the compensation, owner-occupiers receive an additional flat-rate reduction of 100 euros per year.

This is complemented by the regional Be-Home premium of 164 euros, which is scheduled to double next year to 328 euros. According to the City, owner-occupiers will effectively pay less than last year despite the increase in centimes additionnels, as BX1 reported.

Multi-Property Owners Face Increase

Multi-property owners (multipropriétaires) do not benefit from this compensation and face an average increase of approximately 30 euros per month in property tax paid to the City. According to projections cited by Alderman Ben Abdelmoumen, nearly 90% of multi-property owners will see only a very limited tax increase.

“We choose to strengthen the purchasing power of our residents,” Ben Abdelmoumen said, defending what he called “an additional effort of solidarity” requested from multi-property owners, who often reside outside Brussels while earning income from properties rented in the capital.

The Alderman’s office notes that the increase is implemented within the framework of regulations on residential leases that strictly limit the possibilities of passing on additional charges to tenants.

Broader Fiscal Reform

The property tax measure is part of a wider fiscal reform that includes a reduction in the municipal tax on individuals (IPP) from 6% to 4.9% for residents of Brussels-Ville. This gives the City of Brussels the lowest IPP rate in the Brussels-Capital Region and the French Community, and among the five lowest rates in the country, as detailed by Parlons Finance.

The reform was first announced in December 2025 when the PS-MR-Engagés majority presented its balanced 2026 budget of 1.213 billion euros, according to L’Avenir.

Context: Rising Property Taxes Across Brussels

The City of Brussels is not alone in raising property taxes. Nine of the 19 Brussels communes increased their property tax for 2026, with Brussels-Ville among the most significant increases at +14.67%, as La Libre reported. Nearly 400,000 property owners in the Brussels Region are affected by the 2026 property tax.

Saint-Josse had the highest increase (+27%), while Schaerbeek remains the most heavily taxed commune in Brussels at 4,191 centimes. Woluwe-Saint-Lambert is the only commune to have lowered its tax rate, according to Brussels Today.

Municipal Premiums Across the Region

Several Brussels communes offer additional municipal premiums for owner-occupiers in 2026, ranging from 100 euros in Etterbeek and Ixelles to 212.24 euros in Forest. The City of Brussels offers a fixed 100 euro premium plus a variable premium (the compensation), as outlined by Brussels Today.

What’s Next

The fiscal reform represents a significant policy shift that creates a clear distinction between owner-occupiers and multi-property owners. By funding the IPP reduction through increased property taxation on multi-property owners, the City is essentially shifting the tax burden from residents to property investors.

While the Alderman emphasizes that regulations limit passing costs to tenants, the increased property tax on landlords could potentially affect rental prices in the medium term. The reform also relies on the real estate market to sustain its revenue base, raising questions about long-term budget sustainability.

For now, the City of Brussels presents the measure as a political choice to protect residents’ purchasing power while asking those with greater financial capacity to contribute more. As Ben Abdelmoumen put it: “Drafting a budget and reforming municipal taxes is much more than making Excel spreadsheets match. It’s about political choices and a vision of society.”