Housing and Accommodation>Public Rental Housing Projects

Public Rental Housing Projects

The city of Bratislava offers a number of public housing options you can apply for.

Apart from common forms of housing in:

public housing;

alternative public housing; or

municipal dormitories of Fortuna and Kopčany;

There are also projects like:

Dom mladej rodiny (House of Young family) and

Dom pre starších občanov (House for Elderly Residents).

The city is also launching various new projects of affordable housing focusing on developing apartments which can be used for public housing.

Those are the Project of Affordable Housing with Social Support ( Projekt dostupného bývania so sociálnou podporou) and the Municipal Housing Agency (Mestská nájomná agentúra) introduced below.

The city of Bratislava launched its Project of Affordable Housing with Social Support in 2020 and it is currently in its pilot stage. The project is based on the principles of the Housing First approach.

What is the Housing First approach?

It is an approach demonstrating the best results in dealing with the homeless (success rate of more than 90%). Within the Housing First approach, housing is considered as a human right and, when connected with social support, it provides those in distress with a safe space to improve their social situation and quality of life.

As part of the project, the city has provided nine flats which have been assigned to families with children, the elderly, couples, as well as individuals who were formerly homeless.

The project also provides the people living in those flats with social support to recover and cope with their difficult situations.

The project operates in partnership with three NGOs/non-profit organisations with experience with the target groups and the Housing First approach – based on a memorandum of cooperation in social support.

Applicants were able to join the pilot project via the partner non-profit organisations.

After that, a special committee evaluated the application forms and selected the best candidates. Those were approved by the mayor and the Committee for Social Affairs, Health and Housing Development of the Capital. Then, the successful candidates moved in.

The selection of applicants for the project of affordable housing with social support has been completed for the present time. 

Municipal Housing Agency

The city of Bratislava is preparing a pilot project of Mestská nájomná agentúra (Municipal Housing Agency) (MNA) in order to acquire new flats from the private sector which will be administered by the MNA.

The goal of the city leasing agency is to acquire new flats in cooperation with landlords and to provide affordable housing to families and people in difficult housing situations.

Basically, the MNA works as an intermediary between the landlords and the people in need of standard housing. The MNA provides guarantees to the landlords and assumes the risks related to the tenancy (in particular, in form of guaranteed rent or covering any repairs to the flats). The MNA also mediates social support to the people living in the flats, which is crucial for resolving the difficult housing situation they are in.

The primary objective of the MNA is to reduce and overcome barriers in housing affordability, which will – in the long-term – improve the quality of life in Bratislava. There is also the positive impact on the private housing sector and potential for closer cooperation and new acquisitions of municipal apartments, leading to more affordable housing for people who are currently ineligible for a flat on the commercial market.

Social innovations like the MNA are common in many European countries, such as Belgium, the Netherlands, France, or the Czech Republic. Social leasing agencies are also starting to appear among Slovak NGOs.

The project of the Municipal Housing Agency focuses on reducing and overcoming barriers in housing affordability, so it is designed for everyone who faces a variety of barriers on the commercial housing market. Applicants may be single mothers, seniors, low-income families, people in housing distress, as well as handicapped people or families living in municipal dormitories or another form of temporary housing.

The MNA operates as a “buffer zone” between the landlords, who lease their flats to the city to operate them as administrators, and the people renting them – providing various assurances.

It assumes the risks associated with the lease and the landlords can be certain of receiving rent every month. They can also be sure that their flat will remain in good order.

Through the MNA, the city assumes the responsibility for dealing with any issues related to the housing.

It will also seek to prevent any issues arising by providing social support to the tenants and helping them to keep their housing and preventing any future crises. 

The pilot project is still in preparation, so it is not yet possible to apply for it. Once it is open for applications, you will find all the necessary information on this page.

The pilot project of the Municipal Housing Agency will cooperate with a selected private sector partner and start by finding ten standard flats for selected tenants in 2022, and providing the agreed guarantees and social support. We will provide information on potential cooperation and expansion of the MNA activities on this page.

Contact

If you need more information, contact the Department of Affordable Housing and Help to Homeless with the Section of Social Affairs.

ludiabezdomova@bratislava.sk

Documents

Statute of the project of affordable housing (in SK)

Marec 2022.PDF; 254.05 kB