By August 20, 2025, the Agency for Transactions and Mediation in Immovable Properties (APN) received a total of 1,392 tax refund requests for purchasing or constructing first residential real estate, after opening the application process on June 5, 2025, when the Ordinance on subsidies for the acquisition of first residential real estate entered into force. This is a permanent measure intended for young citizens and young families aimed at helping them to solve their housing situation.
Of the overall number of received requests, 850 requests have been processed - 614 being complete requests. So far 608 requests have been approved, 140 require additional documentation and 96 requests (11.29%) have been declined because they do not fulfil legal requirements or because the applicant has withdrawn the request. Only a small number of declined requests, 32 (3.76%), refer to real estate whose price per square meter exceeds the allowed price.
The total worth of the so far approved subsidies is 5,045,081 euro - out of which 3,834,834 euro refers to value added tax (VAT) refund and 1,210,258 euro to real estate transfer tax (RETT) refund. The average subsidy amount is 14,581 euro for VAT and approximately 3,508 euro for RETT. Out of 608 approved requests, 263 refer to new construction (VAT refund) and 345 to existing construction (RETT refund).
Overview by counties - most requests coming from the City of Zagreb
The majority of the 608 approved requests is from Zagreb - 332 of them. Then there are 56 approved requests from Zagreb County, 55 from Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and 50 approved requests from Split-Dalmatia County. There are 18 approved requests from Osijek-Baranja County, 11 from Karlovac County and Zadar County each, and 10 from Brod-Posavina County. Nine requests have been approved in Bjelovar-Bilogora County, Istria County and Vukovar-Srijem County each, six requests have been approved in Krapina-Zagorje County and Šibenik-Knin County, and five requests in Dubrovnik-Neretva County and Sisak-Moslavina County. Međimurje County and Varaždin County include four approved subsidy requests each, Lika-Senj County three, Koprivnica-Križevci County and Virovitica-Podravina County two each, and one request has been approved in Požega-Slavonia County as well. It is clear that all Croatian counties, including the City of Zagreb, include approved subsidies.
The average applicant’s age is 32 - the youngest applicant is 19 years old and coming from the City of Zagreb, and the oldest is 44 years old, which is also the upper age limit prescribed by the amendments to the Act on State-Subsidised Housing Construction. The average number of household members is two people, while the largest household is a family of six.
With regard to real estate floor area, the average is 66 square meters. The smallest real estate with an approved subsidy request is in the City of Zagreb and it comprises 18 m2, while the largest real estate of 225 m2 is registered in Karlovac County.
The average real estate price based on the 608 approved requests is 2,294 per square meter. The highest price registered amounts to 5,013 euro per square meter and it is located in Split-Dalmatia County, while the real estate with the lowest price, 373 euro per square meter, was purchased in Virovitica-Podravina County.
News |
Information
