Home Sharing in Brussels. Understanding Citizen-run Forms of Home-Sharing through the Analysis of an activist list: Berta

Ledent, Gérald [UCL] Salembier, Chloé [UCL]

Home-sharing is a growing phenomenon across high-income economies. However, it is not very documented and often confused with other types of shared living such as co-housing and co-living. The aim of this research paper is to provide a better understanding of the phenomenon in Brussels in particular. In order to do so, the paper investigates the “Berta List”, a platform that connects residents that desire to share dwellings in Brussels. This 11-year old platform is managed by is a single woman, Sandra, who has dedicated her time to maintaining the list and federating a home-sharing community. In Brussels, where nearly 50% of people live alone and housing is becoming less affordable, new households emerge in this new housing segment. The research combines a quantitative analysis of data from the “Berta List”, highlighting the social and spatial supply and demand for home-sharing. It is complemented with interviews with Sandra. Eventually, the research gives an insight into an unknown phenomenon, and clear distinctive features from its commercial counterpart, co-living.