Buying a Second Home in Belgium: Coast or Ardennes, All Costs and Tax Rules Explained

Owning a second home in Belgium in 2025 remains a dream for many families: an apartment by the sea or a chalet in the Ardennes, for personal use and, potentially, rental income. Yet many prospective buyers underestimate the total cost - not just the purchase price, but also registration duties, VAT, annual taxes and shared charges. This article brings together all the financial and tax elements so you can make decisions with your eyes wide open.

How much does a second home on the Belgian coast cost in 2025?

The Belgian coast remains the most popular location for a second home. The average price for an apartment in 2024 was around €320,000, but differences between seaside resorts are significant:​

• Knokke-Heist: often above €600,000 for a sea-view apartment
• Nieuport and De Panne: from around €280,000 for a two-bedroom apartment
• Ostend: a wide range, from around €250,000 to above €500,000 with a sea view
• Middelkerke and Blankenberge: on average slightly more affordable, often between €220,000 and €300,000​

New-build projects are typically 20 to 30% more expensive than existing apartments, but offer better energy performance and lower maintenance costs.​

On top of the purchase price, you should budget an additional 10 to 15% in buying costs:

• Registration duties on existing property: rates vary by region - in Flanders, second homes are taxed at 12% (the reduced 2% rate applies only to a buyer's sole own home); in Wallonia and Brussels the standard rate is 12.5% and no reduced rate applies to second homes​
• VAT on new builds: 21% (6% in exceptional demolition-and-rebuild projects)​
• Notary and mortgage fees: on average 2 to 3% of the purchase price​

Someone buying a second home in Belgium in 2025 for €300,000 will therefore quickly end up with a total entry cost of €330,000 to €345,000.

Second home in the Ardennes: prices and returns

A second home in the Ardennes is growing rapidly in popularity. Buyers often opt for a chalet in the countryside, a gîte or a modern holiday home. Estate agents in the region speak of a gross rental yield of between 4% and 8%, depending on the type of property, its location and the management arrangement.​

Developers and resorts in the Ardennes sometimes offer:

• Full rental management via a professional concierge service
• Guaranteed fixed returns of around 4 to 5% gross
• Arrangements combining personal use and rental, with management fully taken care of​

Purchase prices are often lower than at the coast, but there are big differences between simple chalets and luxury wellness villas. For buyers focused primarily on yield, it is best to look in tourist hotspots with year-round occupancy (La Roche-en-Ardenne, Durbuy, Bouillon, Houffalize).​

Tax treatment: how is your second home taxed?

The federal tax authorities treat a second home as a property that you do not use as your main residence. For a second home that you mainly use yourself - without systematically renting it out - you are taxed each year on the basis of the non-indexed cadastral income (CI).​

The tax process works in two stages:

1. Property withholding tax (précompte immobilier / onroerende voorheffing):
   • An annual amount based on the CI, increased by surcharges levied by the region, the province and the municipality. This can quickly add up to several hundred euros a year.​
2. Personal income tax:
   • You declare the non-indexed CI of your second home as property income.
   • The tax authorities index this CI and increase it by 40%; that amount is added to your other income and taxed at your highest marginal rate (up to 50%).​

Example:​

• CI of second home: €1,000
• Indexed (coefficient ±2.24): approx. €2,244
• Increased by 40%: €3,142 taxable base, added to your other income

If you rent out your second home on a structural basis, additional tax rules apply. When renting to private individuals for personal use, the tax is often still based on the CI, but when renting to companies or for professional use, the actual rent (minus a flat-rate cost deduction) is taxed. Always seek individual advice on this point.​

Second-home tax: a municipal surcharge on top of everything else

On top of federal taxation, almost every coastal and tourist municipality levies an annual second-home tax. The amounts vary considerably from one municipality to another.

Examples from recent regulations:

• Auderghem (Brussels): €1,250 per year per second home; reduced to €200 for student accommodation.​
• Westerlo (Kempen, Flanders): €500 per year per second home, covering all types of second residences, including chalets and static caravans.​

Coastal municipalities often charge between €600 and more than €1,000 per year. This tax is due regardless of whether you rent the property out; when it is rented, the owner and the tenant are sometimes jointly liable.​

In summary, owning a second home in Belgium in 2025 typically means paying:

• Property withholding tax
• Personal income tax based on the CI
• Municipal second-home tax
• Possible tax on rental income (depending on use)

Annual fixed costs: far more than just taxes

Beyond tax liabilities, there are typical recurring annual costs:

• Shared building charges (in a residence): lifts, roof, managing agent, swimming pool or sauna - at the coast often €1,500 to €3,000 per year.​
• Fire and household insurance
• Maintenance (painting, garden, cleaning, minor repairs)
• Energy bills, water, internet
• Any management fees when renting (concierge service, key management, cleaning team).​

Anyone buying a second home