National Housing Policy Plan to be put to public consultation by end of year

(Hina) - The National Housing Policy Plan will be put to public consultation by the end of the year with three goals - affordable housing, sustainable quality housing and space for housing, Minister Branko Bačić said on Wednesday at a government meeting with county prefects, mayors and municipality heads.

The government's measures have four important levers - tax, financial, land and environmental-energy. Next year, we can expect a significant number of new laws and amendments to existing laws, in order to provide as many housing units as possible on the market, said Bačić, adding that due to the greater supply on the market, the growth in flat prices is expected to stop.

The government plans to do this by adopting two affordable rent programmes, one of which relates to the rental of flats owned by Croatia.

The State Properties (Državne Nekretnine) company has begun the process of reconstruction and renovation of state-owned flats managed by the ministry, which there are about a thousand.

The second programme relates to a partnership between the public and private sector that would enable flats to be rented out to young people, with owners receiving almost the entire amount of rental fee in advance, explained Bačić.

The construction of new housing units is also important, and the government is willing to cooperate with cities and local government units. He pointed out that with local government units, which will work on special local housing programmes in accordance with the law, they will start building new housing units, primarily multifamily residentials in urban centres.

The plan is to enable the construction of family houses outside urban centres according to very stimulating measures brought by the National Housing Policy Plan.

Bačić pointed out that as of 1 January, a programme would be launched that would return the full amount of the real estate transfer tax and 50% of VAT payments for the purchase of first real estate.

News | Information