Luxembourg advertises social housing in Belgium: ‘Former residents could return thanks to affordable projects’

Housing Minister Claude Meisch (DP) has confirmed that affordable housing developer Société Nationale des Habitations à Bon Marché (SNHBM) has targeted people in Belgium as part of a marketing campaign to attract buyers to a new estate in the commune of Kehlen, close to the Belgian border.

The Elmen housing project, which will comprise 375 houses and 375 apartments spread over three distinct “villages”, has been described by the SNHBM as “a pleasant living environment for future residents, with an emphasis on a neighbourhood on a human scale and a high quality of life.”

Meisch was responding to a 19 May parliamentary question from Pirate MP Sven Clement, who had heard reports of adverts on the Belgian classic rock radio station Classic 21.

The SNHMB wanted to reach a broad audience, including Luxembourgers and cross-border workers, the minister said. “Former Luxembourg residents who had moved across the border could also be made aware of the possibility of returning to the country, thanks to an affordable, sustainable project supported by a public promoter,” he explained.

Belgian residents who travelled to Luxembourg to work every day were also in the target audience, the minister said. He confirmed that advertising spots had been bought on Classic 21 as well as VivaCité, a general news and entertainment station that, like Classic 21, is part of the Belgian national broadcaster RTBF.

As well as the Belgian stations, ads were broadcast in Luxembourgish on RTL Lëtzebuerg radio, in English on RTL Today and in French on l’Essentiel radio.

The marketing campaign, which Meisch said cost a total of around €30,000, also included targeted social media advertising and letters written to people who had previously expressed an interest in acquiring social housing in the area.

An open day at the Elmen site on 17 May had been a great success, Meisch said in his response.

Clement told the Luxembourg Times that while he was pleased that the government had finally recognised that Luxembourg had a problem of residents moving across the border to find more affordable housing, targeting those people for social housing was not a real solution.

“I am not sure Elmen is enough to alleviate the housing shortage problem,” Clement said. “By asking people to come back to Luxembourg, they are also accepting that others will be priced out of staying,” he argued.

“Simply promoting the last remaining housing stock to people that could price out current residents, rather than building more, is not solving the issue. It is just trying to hide the issue,” he said.

The SNHMB may be having problems selling its properties in Elmen to Luxembourg-based buyers, Clement said. “My opinion is that the SNHMB and Fonds du Logement and the state should be renting, not selling, so we could keep the investments as true investments.”

ADR MP Fred Keup reacted with outrage on social media. “It’s a scandal: the government advertises our social housing to foreigners abroad,” he posted on X within hours of Meisch’s response being published.

“The housing shortage doesn’t seem to be great if the state advertises our social housing abroad…” he added in a second post.