Vivaqua increases water bills for 2026

Brussels residents will have to pay more for their water in 2026, the capital’s water company Vivaqua has announced.

From 1 January 2026, the price of water in the capital is increasing by 12.5%, That is equivalent to an extra €41.50 per year for a two-person household consuming on average 31m³ per person.

“That is more than the 2% indexation provided for in the original tariff plan,” said Vivaqua’s Saar Vanderplaetsen, responsible for public affairs and corporate communication.

The reason for the increase is a large number of unpaid water bills, Bruzz reports. Since mid-November, this has increased to €72.8 million, of which just under €9 million is still being paid through a staggered repayment plan.

If invoices are not paid after three years, they are systematically calculated by Vivaqua in the current bills. Now, a study by Brugel, the Brussels regulator for electricity, gas and water prices, shows that the amounts of unpaid bills passed on in the bill are too low compared to the actual unpaid amounts.

“Normally, the missed sum would be compensated at the end of the tariff plan, on 31 December 2026. To avoid that, we asked Brugel to approve a catch-up scheme, which has now happened,” said Vanderplaetsen.

In this way, Vivaqua avoids having to pre-finance even more. This is welcome news for Vivaqua, given that the mountain of debt at the end of 2024 already stood at €1.09 billion.

However, the approval was not without criticism from Brugel, which has said that “malfunctions were attributable, among other things, to Vivaqua's poor management of the implementation of its new computer software, which exacerbated billing and collection difficulties”.

Brugel’s analysis also highlighted that the rate of customers who default on their payments, initially set by the operator at 1.5%, was underestimated in relation to the actual losses recorded.

This rate was therefore revised to 4%, which remains “particularly high” the regulator said, noting that it “will ensure that this rate is revised downwards in the coming years, especially as benchmarks show that the rate of irrecoverable debts in comparable countries is significantly lower”.

In view of this situation, “Brugel had no choice but to accept Vivaqua’s 2026 tariff proposal, given the operator’s precarious financial situation,” it said. “Brugel therefore approved the increase in authorised revenue for 2026 to guarantee the financial viability of the public water service.”

But the regulator insists that given the scale of the problem of unpaid bills, Vivaqua must improve its billing and collection procedures.

“These aspects are crucial in contributing to the operator’s solvency and guaranteeing the quality of service provided to the people of Brussels,” said Kevin Welch, chair of Brugel’s board of directors.

Vivaqua is almost entirely dependent on water sales for its income. The fact of being legally obliged to guarantee a minimum service, even if people do not pay their bills, does not help to reduce the number of unpaid invoices, it said.

Vivaqua is therefore taking various measures to help the non-payers. “We are working with a new partner for the collection costs, and we send personalised text messages with payment reminders,” said Vanderplaetsen. “That already resulted in 40% more invoices paid from January to September 2025.”

These measures are likely insufficient given the large group of non-payers consisting of families who cannot pay their water bills. Vivaqua cites in its annual financial report that more than one in four Brussels families suffers from water poverty.

One solution is the Vivaqua Social Water Fund, which helps vulnerable Brussels residents to pay their water bills. People with payment problems can apply to get their invoice paid, only pay a flat-rate contribution or pay the “social allowance” through the Brussels region via their CPAS (social services organisation).

“People with a BIM/BVT status are entitled to a social allowance for water,” Vanderplaetsen added. “This amounts to €57.51 for a single-person family and €52.28 per additional family member.”

Vivaqua, a 100% public company, is “the source of the water that reaches the taps of consumers in Brussels every day,” it says on its website.

Founded in 1891, it has become one of the largest water companies in Belgium. Its activities cover the production and distribution of drinking water, the management of sewer networks and flood control.