Prague 7 has completed the repair of a dilapidated apartment building in Dobrovského Street. City Hall spokesman Martin Vokuš said that the number of flats in the building had increased from ten to 15 and that young families, seniors, the disabled or members of occupations important to the city would find housing there. The reconstruction began last spring and cost CZK 41.5 million, CZK 28 million of the city district was contributed by the municipality from the fund for the development of affordable housing.
According to the town hall, the five-storey house has been empty since 2013 due to poor statics. The reconstruction included repair of the roof, replacement of load-bearing structures, a new boiler room, electrical installations, floors, facades, windows and doors. “In addition, we focused on the internal layout of the building in order to expand the number of apartments from the original ten to 15, and also had to build an elevator, which until then was missing in the house,” said Deputy Mayor of Prague 7 Kamil Vavřinec Mareš.
For the reconstruction, the city district received a subsidy from the municipal fund for affordable housing, where money from the privatization of the city’s housing stock goes. The fund is used by the city for public housing construction and repairs of existing apartments and houses. It is also used to provide homes for the elderly, homes with a special regime and other so-called residential capacities of social services. The money is also received by individual town halls as interest-free loans or subsidies.
Prague has been facing a housing crisis in recent years. The municipality has about 7,000 flats, another 23,000 are managed by the city district. They decide on their leases or privatizations themselves. According to an analysis by KPMG from 2018, after 1991, 194,000 flats became the property of Prague, most of which were sold off during privatizations. The shortage of flats and the rise in housing prices is one of the most discussed problems that the metropolis is currently solving.
Source: CTK
