Bratislava has launched a new, fair and transparent process for assigning rental flats

From the beginning of September, a new generally binding regulation on rental flats which governs the selection of tenants, the allocation of flats and contractual relations between tenants, came into force in the capital. In association with this, Bratislava has started accepting applications for the assigning of city rental flats according to the new rules. The aim of the change is to increase the availability of the capital’s housing fun while also setting up a fair and transparent process for assigning city rental flats so that using the housing fund is socially sensitive and targeted on those who really need it. The new rules increase the possibility of acquiring affordable housing for people with disabilities, the elderly and those in need of housing, but also for employees in professions necessary to run the city. In addition to this, with the new rules we will be able to effectively prevent rental housing from going to people who, in light of their income, can easily procure it, objectively or otherwise.

Based on the new rules, all existing requests for the assigning of rental flats will also be re-assessed. Therefore, all previous applicants are currently being asked by the municipality to resubmit their applications and complete all the data necessary for its assessment. In this context, the Bratislava municipality has prepared an electronic application system for submissions through a Bratislava account which can be used by all applicants. In this way expanding we are expanding, mainly electronically, the portfolio of services that the residents of our city can use. Applicants who have not yet created an account can register at Bratislava account ↗︎ and then simply fill out the form with all the necessary information.

At the same time, the possibility remains to submit an application in person at the city’s Citizen Services Department, or by post. Together with the new application, the capital also ratified internal documents that specify the process for assigning flats, the scoring system, price categories and the role of the Housing Commission. All documents and instructions for applicants are available on the capital’s website ↗︎.

Currently concluded rental agreements remain in force. As previously, when deciding to renew a tenancy relationship, the capital will check whether the tenant still meets the eligibility for being allocated a flat. From 1 September, however, the new conditions, or initial criteria, will be taken into account. Therefore, the decision will mainly be based on the ongoing housing need, an income level that prevents a tenant from securing his own housing and the tenant’s payment discipline. The municipality will call on the tenant to renew the contract at least four months before it expires.

Until now, the rules for renting flats under the city’s administration were governed by a generally binding regulation that was adopted almost 17 years ago and even then represented an already outdated system of allocating city rental flats. Therefore, after broad professional participation, a new generally binding regulation that sets clear rules in the rental housing policy was drawn up and approved by city councillors at the end of last year.

“After almost 17 years, we managed to change the rules for allocating city flats such that they correspond with the city’s housing policy and respond to the housing situation of housing applicants; at the same time we were able to support employees in the professions necessary for the running of the city,” said the Deputy Mayor of Bratislava, Lenka Antalová Plavuchová.

What are the most significant changes in the city’s rental housing?

I.Flats will be newly divided into 4 categories:

• Flats for persons providing services in the public interest – flats intended for the households of employees providing health care, social care and other services in the public interest, education, culture or protection of the municipality’s inhabitants within the territory of Bratislava

• Affordable housing – flats intended for people who are in need of housing but are disadvantaged on the housing market

• Affordable housing with support – flats intended for the most vulnerable persons who are disadvantaged on the housing market, those in need of housing and whose situation requires a certain type of support/counselling

• Flats for special purposes (barrier-free flats) – flats intended for households whose members include individuals with physical or other sensory disabilities

II.Eligibility conditions are being adjusted (e.g., the introduction of an upper income limit) with the aim of increasing the availability, directedness and sustainability of housing and eliminating undesirable phenomena (e.g., so that rental housing does not go to people who, in light of their income, can procure it, objectively and otherwise).

III.Support for tenants is being introduced in the form of social, or other professional consultation for adult household members, including in the form of reduced rent.

IV.A new housing commission is being created – the mayor’s expert advisory body – which will ensure compliance with the rules for allocating rental housing. The aim is to follow the example of the best examples of practice from abroad (e.g., Prague, Brno) to introduce strictly professional and objective decision-making for the assigning of rental flats. The method of selecting future tenants from the list of applicants will be transparent, with clearly defined criteria and a point evaluation described in detail.