Construction minister: Public call for tenants to be issued next week

Hina - Croatia’s Minister of Construction, Physical Planning and State State Assets, Branko Bačić, announced on Thursday that a public call for prospective tenants will be published next week for privately-owned apartments managed by the state-owned APN real estate agency.

“The agency will issue the call on Wednesday, 15 April, to assign one of the properties registered two months ago to potential tenants,” Bačić said in parliament while presenting the Affordable Housing Bill.

The call follows a December 2025 initiative inviting owners of apartments left vacant for at least two years to participate in a long-term rental programme, receiving compensation based on the median rental price. A total of 958 apartments were registered.

Bačić noted that while the number may seem small, a country like Poland, 13 times larger by population, added around 350 residential units to the rental market through a similar scheme in one year.

He emphasised that the government has already introduced measures to improve housing access, including restrictions on short-term rentals and a support programme for first-time homebuyers, which has processed 5,500 applications and disbursed €27 million over nine months.

The bill introduces tools to encourage housing construction through non-profit housing cooperatives and the refurbishment of multi-unit buildings with micro-apartments, with examples in Rijeka and Split. Rent in these units will be below the local median.

Bačić invited counties, cities and municipalities to participate, allowing regions to assume responsibilities where local authorities lack financial capacity.

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