IDEA Consult conducted an independent study to assess the impact of the growing supply of co-living and organised flat-sharing on the residential market in the Brussels-Capital Region.

The study, commissioned by the main players in co-living and the UPSI, consisted of mapping and quantifying this supply, analysing its relative weight in the rental and purchase market, and examining its potential influence on rents and sale prices, particularly in municipalities that have introduced a specific tax.

The challenge

In a context of tension surrounding access to housing in the Brussels Region, several municipalities have introduced taxes to curb the development of co-living. A regional regulatory framework has yet to be defined, particularly in the absence of a government with full powers. Anticipating negotiations at local level, as well as talks at regional level, operators wanted to objectively assess the impact of their activities.

Given the limited availability of housing data, IDEA Consult drew on various databases, some of which were newly accessible. In addition to inventorying and characterising the coliving and organised flat-sharing offer, the main challenge was to examine possible correlations between its deployment and the functioning of the Brussels residential property market.

Approach & results

First, with the support of operators, a detailed database was compiled to characterise co-living and organised co-housing in the Brussels region, as well as its geographical distribution and evolution over time. This was supplemented by a number of additional occurrences and compared with existing research to ensure its reliability.

In-depth work was then carried out to identify the weight of co-living at different scales (municipality, neighbourhoods, statistical sectors), determining the importance of this offering, both in the residential stock and in the property purchase and rental markets. This analysis shows that co-living is concentrated in certain (peri-)central neighbourhoods, mainly in the inner suburbs, and that it represents only a minor part of the housing stock and the property market.

Despite the lack of robust, sufficiently categorised data on property values at different geographical scales, and in the absence of clear cause-and-effect correlations, it has nevertheless been possible, based on the available data, to measure the probability of an impact of this type of offering on the functioning of the residential purchase and rental market in Brussels. Existing research on socio-demographic dynamics and the evolution of Brussels neighbourhoods helped to put the study’s findings into perspective.

The impact of co-living on local home purchase markets appears to be limited; however, the small number of cases observed makes the analyses less robust. In neighbourhoods favoured by co-living, the home purchase market remains a niche market, mainly accessible to wealthy households. In the rental market, at the neighbourhood level, the development of co-living does not seem to be curbing the generalised rise in rents in areas that are already partially gentrified and under pressure, where prices were high before the emergence of this type of accommodation. An increase in rents has even been observed. At the municipal and regional levels, the effects of co-living on the rental market appear to be very limited, as it remains a niche offering.

Based on its study, IDEA Consult has strengthened its advisory capabilities to public and private actors in order to optimise the contribution of co-living and organised co-housing. This offer seems to meet a real and sustainable demand – new arrivals, young single professionals, households in transition – but requires supervision to limit its negative effects: risks of gentrification, habitability and safety issues, legal uncertainties, etc. Regulation could also prevent overconcentration in dense neighbourhoods, mobilise under-occupied housing and encourage greater social diversity. A coherent regional framework is therefore essential to harmonise municipal practices and guarantee an accessible, high-quality offering.

This study was presented on 12 November 2025 as part of the seminar ‘Coliving in Brussels: from challenge to solution’ organised by UPSI.