Buying your first home in Brussels: grants, loans and schemes to know about

With the average apartment costing around €300,000, buying your first home in Brussels calls for a substantial deposit and solid financing. The Region offers several ways to ease the bill. Some are available to everyone, such as the abatement on registration duties; others are reserved for households below an income ceiling, such as loans from the Fonds du Logement or citydev homes. In 2026 the Fonds resumed lending after a year-long suspension, and the new regional government made a number of announcements. Here is what applies today, and what is still only a proposal.

The backdrop: stable prices, rising rates

According to Fednot, the average apartment sold for €301,666 in the Brussels-Capital Region over the first nine months of 2026 (+1.7% on 2025). On the financing side, Belfius reports that mortgage rates rose by around 0.35 percentage points in the second quarter of 2026, following an ECB rate rise in June. First-time buyers nonetheless remain numerous: at BNP Paribas Fortis, they accounted for 49% of approved purchase applications in 2025, with an average loan-to-value of 66% and an average term of 238 months.

The abatement on registration duties

This is the most significant help available for a first purchase of an existing property. Brussels registration duties (droits d'enregistrement) are charged at 12.5%, but they are not due on the first €200,000 of the price when the buyer is acquiring their main home. The saving reaches €25,000.

€25,000: the maximum saving offered by the Brussels abatement (abattement), for a purchase whose price (including costs) does not exceed €600,000.

The conditions

• the property must be located in one of the 19 Brussels municipalities and be used, wholly or partly, as a home;
• the buyer must be a private individual acquiring full ownership of the whole property;
• the price and costs must not exceed €600,000: above that, the abatement is lost entirely;
• you must not, at the time of the preliminary sale agreement (compromis de vente), have full ownership of another property intended for residential use (a refund is possible if that other property is sold within two years);
• you must register your domicile at the property within 3 years and keep it as your main residence for 5 years (since 1 April 2023, repayment in the event of an early departure is calculated pro rata).

Example

For a €350,000 apartment: without the abatement, the duties come to €43,750. With the abatement, they are calculated on €150,000, i.e. €18,750.

The additional abatement for renovation

If you buy a property in need of renovation, a further abatement of €25,000 per EPB class gained is available, with a minimum of two classes. You must reach the target and register your domicile at the property within 5 years. It applies only on top of the main abatement.

New-build or existing: a question to ask from the outset

The abatement applies only if the purchase is subject to registration duties. A home sold under the VAT regime (in principle, new-build sold by a developer) does not qualify. For a renovated apartment, ask the seller and your notary which regime applies before you sign: the difference to your budget can be considerable.

What has been announced

The Brussels government is considering raising the €600,000 ceiling to €800,000. According to analyses published after the budget agreement of 4 October 2026, this measure is planned for 2029, subject to available funding. It is not in force: in October 2026, the ceiling remains €600,000.

The Fonds du Logement: loans available again

The Fonds du Logement of the Brussels-Capital Region (the Region's housing fund) grants mortgage loans to households on modest or middle incomes. It suspended the processing of loan applications on 1 July 2025, owing to a lack of budgetary visibility. On 4 June 2026, the Brussels government granted the regional guarantee on the Fonds' borrowing for 2026, up to a maximum of €100 million. The Fonds announced the resumption of its mortgage lending on 13 July 2026.

Key features

• Loan-to-value: up to 120% of the property's value, where justified, which can cover part of the costs.
• Rate: a fixed rate of between 3.75% and 5% under the scale in force since 13 July 2026, depending on income and the number of dependants.
• Term: 30 years maximum, with full repayment before the age of 70.
• Conditions: you must not own another home, you must live in the property purchased, which must be located in the Brussels Region, and you must stay within the income ceilings.

According to the scales reported in 2026, the income ceilings range from around €73,884 (single person with no dependants) to €114,034 (household with four dependants), plus €5,000 for each additional dependant. These amounts should be checked with the Fonds, which also sets other limits (property value, repayment capacity).

The Fonds also sells homes at below-market prices, from studios to four-bedroom properties, with conditions on resale and a right of pre-emption. Its Ecoreno loan, intended for energy renovation, resumed on 1 January 2026.

citydev.brussels: subsidised new-build housing

citydev.brussels produces new homes sold at reduced prices to middle-income households, through public-private partnerships. The price is made affordable by a regional subsidy. For 2026, the Region allocated citydev an investment grant of €16.2 million for the production of affordable homes for purchase.

In return, the buyer accepts strict obligations. Under the regulatory framework (decree of 26 September 2013) and the standard sale agreements published by citydev:

• you must be an adult and not own any other home in Belgium;
• you must stay within an income ceiling, indexed each year;
• you must register your domicile at the home and live there yourself;
• for 20 years: resale is regulated (capped price, right of pre-emption) and letting is in principle prohibited, unless an exemption is granted;
• the subsidy must be repaid if the conditions are not met.

Updated income ceilings and the projects currently on sale are published on citydev's website.

Community Land Trust Brussels

The CLTB offers a different formula: the land remains in common ownership and the buyer acquires only the home. The price is therefore significantly lower. The scheme is aimed at households whose income does not exceed the social housing ceilings. Resale is possible, but at a capped price, so that the home remains affordable.

Tax for owner-occupiers

No housing bonus for new loans

Brussels abolished the housing bonus (bonus logement) for loans taken out from 1 January 2017 and replaced it with a higher abatement. Circular 2026/C/62 from the FPS Finance (SPF Finances) confirms that only loans taken out before 2017 still qualify for the regional tax relief. A first-time buyer borrowing today therefore receives no tax reduction linked to their mortgage.

The Be Home premium

Owner-occupiers in Brussels receive the Be Home premium, which currently stands at €164 a year. On 18 June 2026, the government approved at first reading a preliminary draft that would raise it to €328 from tax year 2027. The text still requires the opinion of the Council of State and adoption by Parliament.

Other announced support

The Brussels coalition agreement of February 2026 mentions new tools to help people into home ownership, such as reduced-rate loans, split ownership (démembrement de propriété) and shared housing, without a precise timetable. A zero-interest renovation loan, intended gradually to replace the Renolution grants, has been announced for spring 2027. Its conditions have not yet been published.

• ⊞ Scheme | Status in October 2026 | Who is it for?
• €200,000 abatement (€600,000 ceiling) | In force | Any buyer of their main home who owns no other property
• Additional renovation abatement | In force | Purchase of a property to renovate, gaining at least two EPB classes
• Ceiling raised to €800,000 | Announced for 2029 | To be confirmed
• Fonds du Logement mortgage | Resumed on 13 July 2026 | Households below the income ceiling
• citydev homes | In force | Middle-income households
• Be Home premium doubled (€328) | Being adopted, tax year 2027 | Owner-occupiers
• Zero-interest renovation loan | Announced for spring 2027 | Conditions not published

Good habits for a first purchase

• Draw up a complete budget: price, registration duties (after the abatement), notary's fees, loan costs and any works.
• Check the property's tax regime (registration duties or VAT), as it determines eligibility for the abatement.
• Test your eligibility for the Fonds du Logement before comparing bank offers, if your income is close to the ceilings.
• Include a condition precedent for obtaining finance (clause suspensive d'obtention de crédit) in the sale agreement.
• Look at the EPB certificate (certificat PEB): it affects your energy bills, the property's future value and, at some banks, the terms of the loan.
• Think ahead about your life plans: the abatement requires 5 years' residence, and citydev imposes 20 years of obligations.

This article is for information only and reflects the rules and announcements known as at 21 October 2026. It does not constitute personalised financial, tax or legal advice. Check your situation with your notary, your bank or the relevant bodies (Fonds du Logement, citydev, CLTB) before making any commitment.

Sources

• be.brussels (Brussels Taxation – Bruxelles Fiscalité), "Abattement sur les droits de vente": be.brussels
• Forum for the Future, "Budget bruxellois 2027 : quatre mesures annoncées à intégrer dans vos dossiers clients" (€800,000 ceiling in 2029, Be Home premium, zero-interest loan): forumforthefuture.be
• be.brussels, "La prime Be Home double à partir de 2027", 13/08/2026: be.brussels
• BX1, regional guarantee for the resumption of Fonds du Logement lending, 05/06/2026: bx1.be
• DH, "Suspendus depuis l'été 2025, les crédits hypothécaires du Fonds du logement doivent reprendre en juillet", 23/04/2026: dhnet.be
• Mes Aides Financières, Fonds du Logement conditions and rate scale as at 13/07/2026 (unofficial source, updated on 24/08/2026): mes-aides-financieres.be
• Fonds du Logement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale (official website): fonds.brussels
• be.brussels, "Logements à prix réduits" (citydev, Fonds du Logement, CLTB): be.brussels
• citydev.brussels, standard sale agreement for a subsidised apartment: citydev.brussels
• BX1, regional funding allocations for citydev, 11/07/2026: bx1.be
• Forum for the Future, circular 2026/C/62 on tax relief for mortgage loans in the Brussels-Capital Region, 28/05/2026: forumforthefuture.be
• notaire.be, "Ce qui change à Bruxelles à partir du 1er janvier 2017": notaire.be
• notaire.be (Fednot), Q3 2026 property barometer, 13/10/2026: notaire.be
• Belfius, Pricemeter Q2 2026: belfius.be
• BNP Paribas Fortis, mortgage lending press conference, 05/02/2026: prezly.com
• La Libre, housing measures of the new Brussels coalition, 21/02/2026: lalibre.be

A first purchase in a renovated building

Living Home Promotion offers apartments in existing buildings fully renovated by its partner Next Homes, in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Forest and Uccle, including one-bedroom apartments in Forest that suit a first purchase. For each property, our team provides the information you need for your file, including the applicable tax regime, which you should have confirmed by your notary. Discover our property projects.