Fair Ground Brussels
Fair Ground Brussels is a Brussels-based real estate cooperative that uses the Community Land Trust model to permanently extract affordable housing and community spaces from the speculative market, currently managing 67 dwellings and 5 community spaces housing nearly 200 people through its 270+ cooperator base.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSaint-Gilles, Belgium
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Fair Ground Brussels does
Fair Ground Brussels SC is a private real estate cooperative (Société Coopérative) founded in December 2020 and headquartered at 72 Avenue de la Toison d'Or in Saint-Gilles, Brussels. The cooperative addresses the Brussels housing crisis through a Community Land Trust (CLT) model that structurally separates land ownership (held by the cooperative, in perpetuity, via legal statutes preventing resale) from building ownership (managed to remain permanently affordable through resale price controls and Social Housing Agency / AIS management). As of 2026, it manages 67 apartments and 5 community spaces housing nearly 200 people, with roughly 30 additional dwellings in the acquisition pipeline.
The cooperative's core products are anti-speculative affordable housing units and below-market community spaces for social economy associations, delivered through partnerships with Social Housing Agencies (Baita, IRIS, AIS Quartiers, Logement Pour Tous) and direct community space leases. Its financial architecture combines citizen-sourced capital (Class D Supporter Shares at €25 with no dividends, Class C Investor Shares at €1,000 capped at 2% gross dividend, and roughly 30 citizen bondholders) with institutional capital, most notably a €3 million institutional round and a €2.1 million investment from SFPIM Real Estate in 2025.
The business model is community-led: 270+ cooperators exercise one-person-one-vote governance, growth is driven by word-of-mouth and a 16-association founding coalition, and the cooperative is funded via cooperative share subscriptions, citizen bonds, donations and subsidies (including FEDER, Innoviris, and King Baudouin Foundation), rents routed through AIS partners, and institutional impact capital. Operating with only ~3 full-time equivalents, the cooperative's cost structure is intentionally lean, with share and investor capital reserved exclusively for real estate acquisitions while operating costs are covered by gross margins.
Fair Ground Brussels firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fair Ground Brussels
- Legal name
- Fair Ground Brussels SC
- Website
- https://fairground.brussels
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Fair Ground Brussels is a Brussels-based real estate cooperative that uses the Community Land Trust model to permanently extract affordable housing and community spaces from the speculative market, currently managing 67 dwellings and 5 community spaces housing nearly 200 people through its 270+ cooperator base.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fair Ground Brussels industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Housing / Affordable Housing Cooperative
- SIC
- Lessors Of Real Property, Nec (6519)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)
Keywords
Where Fair Ground Brussels is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint-Gilles
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Fair Ground Brussels business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Cooperative shares: Fair Ground Brussels raises capital by selling cooperative shares to citizens and investors. Two types of shares: Supporter Shares (Parts D) at €25 that do not pay dividends, and Investor Shares (Parts C) at €1,000 that pay maximum 2% gross dividend.
- Rents and sales: Rental income from properties managed by Social Housing Agencies (AIS) and direct rental of community spaces to associations at affordable rates. Properties are either rented to low-income households through AIS or sold with resale price controls.
- Citizen bonds: The cooperative issues bonds to citizens as a financing tool, attracting around thirty bondholders.
- Institutional investment: Major institutional investment of €3 million from SFPIM Real Estate (in capital and credit). Additional funding from investors like Mandarine Gestion and other financial partners.
- Donations and subsidies: The cooperative receives donations and subsidies from public institutions and private foundations, including European funding (FEDER), Innoviris, and others.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Supporter Shares (Parts D) - €25 per share |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Investor Shares (Parts C) - €1,000 per share |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom investments available |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Fair Ground Brussels product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fair Ground Brussels is a Brussels-based real-estate cooperative that uses the Community Land Trust (CLT) model to acquire and develop permanently affordable housing. It separates land ownership (held by the cooperative in perpetuity) from building ownership, locks resale prices via a statutory formula, and rents the resulting units below market rate through partnerships with social housing agencies (AIS). The portfolio includes 67 apartments and 5 community spaces used by founding member associations.
Product overview
Fair Ground Brussels is a real estate cooperative offering affordable housing development and property management services. The cooperative operates through partnership with Social Housing Agencies (AIS) and offers two financial product tiers: Class C (Investor) shares for those seeking potential returns, and Class D (Supporter) shares for those wishing to support the social mission without financial return expectations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Class C Investor Shares
Quantifiable outcome
- 67 dwellings and 5 community spaces secured for permanent affordable use
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Fair Ground Brussels
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Fair Ground Brussels technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Fair Ground Brussels partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- LivingStonescoreFair Ground Brussels completed merger with LivingStones cooperative in late 2024, effectively doubling the cooperative's real estate portfolio. This major strategic consolidation expanded Fair Ground's housing stock significantly.
- Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB)coreCLTB is a founding member of Fair Ground Brussels and joined the Board of Directors in 2026. CLTB pioneered the Community Land Trust model in Brussels and brings expertise in non-speculative affordable housing.
- Angela DcoreFounding member and feminist housing association managing Calico project units for women in precarious situations.
- BaitacoreSocial Housing Agency (AIS) and founding member. Manages housing properties including Casa Viva and Denmark projects.
- IRIScoreSocial Housing Agency and founding member managing Portaels project and other properties.
- AIS QuartierscoreSocial Housing Agency managing Ninove and Helmet projects, providing housing for precarized populations.
- Logement Pour TouscoreSocial Housing Agency and co-founder of Fair Ground Brussels. Manages Otlet project (10 apartments) and other properties.
- L'Ilot asblcorePartner for Palais project providing day center for women, reception house, and housing for the homeless sector through the CCL cell.
- New Samu SocialcorePartner for Nova Casa Vesta project, providing housing and social support for women in precarity with children.
- CommunacoreFounding member and transitional space manager, currently operating temporary use of Maxima location awaiting Nova Casa Vesta completion.
- MOCminorFounding member organization from Brussels socio-cultural sector.
- Une maison en plusminorFounding member organization working on housing access.
- Solidarité LogementminorFounding member organization focused on housing solidarity.
- Convivence samenlevenminorFounding member organization.
- Les petits riensminorFounding member organization.
- beweging.netminorFounding member organization from civic movement sector.
- Pro RenovassistanceminorFoundation supporting renovation and founding member. Contributed to Serkeyn project.
- Terre en vueminorFounding member organization.
- Commune of ForestcoreProvides land via 40-year emphyteutic lease for Nova Casa Vesta project, enabling European funding eligibility.
- Commune of SchaerbeekcoreProvided land through durable neighborhood contract for Helmet project, with Fair Ground becoming full owner after 20 years.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Fair Ground Brussels competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Habitat et Humanisme: Major European social housing organization active in France and Belgium, providing affordable rental housing to low-income and vulnerable households through a non-speculative model. Operates with similar mission-driven, partnership-based structure.
- IRIS (Agence Immobilière Sociale): Brussels-based Social Housing Agency and founding member of Fair Ground Brussels. Manages the Portaels project and other properties in Fair Ground's portfolio, operating the same public-mandate social rental model.
- Credal: Belgian cooperative social finance institution and founding member of Fair Ground Brussels. Channels citizen and institutional capital toward social economy projects, providing both funding and financial expertise to the cooperative ecosystem.
- Terre en Vue: Belgian non-profit land stewardship organization and founding member of Fair Ground Brussels. Acquires land for collective/affordable use, sharing the underlying philosophy of extracting land from speculation.
- Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB): The pioneering Brussels CLT and a founding member of Fair Ground Brussels. CLTB operates the same Community Land Trust model in the same city, providing affordable housing via separated land/building ownership. Most directly comparable entity.
- Baita: Brussels Social Housing Agency and founding member of Fair Ground Brussels. Manages affordable housing properties including Casa Viva and Denmark projects, functioning as a near-direct social housing operator peer.
- Logement Pour Tous: Brussels-based Social Housing Agency (AIS) and co-founder of Fair Ground Brussels. Manages affordable rental housing for low-income households, including the Otlet project (10 apartments) within Fair Ground's portfolio.
Emerging players
- Coopcity: Brussels-based support platform for social and cooperative enterprises. While not a direct housing operator, it is a key enabler/incubator in the Brussels social economy ecosystem in which Fair Ground operates.
- Les Petits Riens: Major Brussels social economy organization and founding member of Fair Ground Brussels. While broader in mission (employment, housing, social reintegration), it operates in the same affordable-housing and social-support space.
Others
- Oikopolis Crédit Coopératif: Belgian branch of global cooperative Oikocredit, providing fair finance to cooperatives and social enterprises. Comparable as a peer cooperative financial institution channeling capital into social economy projects.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Fair Ground Brussels social profiles
Digital presenceFair Ground Brussels compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Fair Ground Brussels financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fair Ground Brussels leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Fair Ground Brussels funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fair Ground Brussels M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fair Ground Brussels
What does Fair Ground Brussels do?
Fair Ground Brussels is a Brussels-based real-estate cooperative that uses the Community Land Trust (CLT) model to acquire and develop permanently affordable housing. It separates land ownership (held by the cooperative in perpetuity) from building ownership, locks resale prices via a statutory formula, and rents the resulting units below market rate through partnerships with social housing agencies (AIS). The portfolio includes 67 apartments and 5 community spaces used by founding member associations.
Is Fair Ground Brussels a public or private company?
Fair Ground Brussels is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Fair Ground Brussels founded?
Fair Ground Brussels was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Fair Ground Brussels based?
Fair Ground Brussels is headquartered in Saint-Gilles, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does Fair Ground Brussels make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Cooperative shares are the primary driver. The others are rents and sales, citizen bonds, institutional investment and donations and subsidies.
Who are Fair Ground Brussels's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Habitat et Humanisme, IRIS (Agence Immobilière Sociale), Credal, Terre en Vue, Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB), Baita and Logement Pour Tous. Emerging players are Coopcity and Les Petits Riens. Oikopolis Crédit Coopératif is listed as an others.
Does Fair Ground Brussels have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fair Ground Brussels.
What industry is Fair Ground Brussels in?
Fair Ground Brussels's product category is Social Housing / Affordable Housing Cooperative. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAC, Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts). Its SIC code is 6519.