Young couples and families will be allowed to stay in a starter flat after the five-year period for which Brno rents these apartments for the longest time. In view of new rules approved by city councillors at their meeting today, they will become municipal flats. The aim is to provide greater stability for young people, deputy mayor Karin Podivinská (ANO), who is in charge of housing, told reporters. The deputies also approved a change in the name of the apartments intended for elderly residents so that it would lead to greater clarity and subsequently smoother occupation.
The starter flats are for married and partnered couples up to the age of 35 with defined incomes. They are rented for three years with the possibility of a two-year extension. The new rule is that if no problems arise with tenants during this period, their starter flat will become a council flat. They will then pay a rent equivalent to that of a council flat. “We believe that thanks to this, young families, for whom the prices of mortgages and property acquisition are unaffordable, will be able to settle in Brno,” Podivinská said.
According to the deputy, people will pay CZK 85 per square metre for a square metre in a starter flat, municipal housing ranges from CZK 80 to 150, and market rent is between CZK 280 and 300. Under the new conditions, the city will offer 14 starter flats in just a few days. Brno has 170 of them. It plans to maintain that number and increase it to 200 despite the new rules. More starter flats should be provided by the city districts.
The rules regarding starter flats were changed in May. At that time, councillors approved that after three years the rent would increase by 100 percent for the next two years. Podivinská justified this by trying to motivate people to sort out their own housing in Brno within three years and not block the desired starter flats. “Back in May we knew that the housing situation in Brno was difficult, but we assumed it would stabilise, which is not happening. We found that people are moving outside Brno even after three or five years because mortgages and rents are very high,” she added.
For apartments intended for elderly residents, the name is being changed from “apartments in nursing homes” to “affordable apartments for seniors.” The name is meant to convey that this is decent housing for older people, but not disproportionately large and therefore not as expensive. Nothing changes for current tenants or those on the waiting list.
“The current name was misleading and many people logically imagined it to mean sheltered housing. Then they were either surprised to find out that they had to arrange this service themselves on top of their rent, or when their turn came on the waiting list, they refused the apartment on the grounds that they were still self-sufficient,” Podivinská said. Brno currently has 1,048 such flats, including the completed ones in Slatina, which are due for approval in September. Some 400 people are waiting on the waiting list. People can apply for senior housing if they are permanently resident in Brno, receive a retirement pension, do not own a house or apartment, or are not tenants.
The latest change in the rules for renting apartments concerns Ukrainian refugees who do not have permanent residence in the Czech Republic but are granted temporary protection. They can now apply for flats managed by the city or municipal districts and will be assessed according to the same criteria as Czech residents. If they get an apartment, the city will sign a contract with them for a fixed period, limited to the duration of the temporary protection regime.
Source: CTK
