Czechs spend the longest time earning their own housing from the EU. The worst situation is in Prague
Czechs earn their own housing the longest out of the entire European Union. They need over 13 annual salaries to buy. In recent months, the prices of names have risen significantly, by ten percent. Before the elections, the government pledged to solve the housing crisis. Although the coalition has plans for what to do with the lack of apartments and high prices, according to the opposition, it is doing little so far. In the Czech Republic, there is still no amendment to the Building Act, which could speed up construction.
Owning your own home is a luxury in the Czech Republic. The Czechs have been making the most of it out of the entire European Union. Few apartments, extremely expensive rents, unaffordable mortgages and a lack of cooperative housing. The patience of the Czechs with the Purple government is suffering. “It’s all getting more and more expensive. People whining,” complained one of the interviewees. “It’s a difficult situation for young people right now,” added another.
Many families will not be able to get a mortgage. Half of their income goes to energy and rent. “Half goes to energy and we live on the other half,” said Marie Brožovská from Ústí nad Labem, who lives with her husband and two daughters in a rented two-room apartment.
However, the housing situation is worst in the capital, where up to 30,000 apartments are currently missing. Prague is therefore preparing to build at least 500 municipal and cooperative apartments per year. “During the previous election periods, localities were not prepared for construction, so in this election period, the localities were being prepared. I believe that in the next election period, construction will already begin,” declared the councilor of the capital city of Prague, Hana Kordová Marvanová (for STAN).
“We need roughly four to six thousand new apartments a year. The 500 new apartments will not completely change the housing policy,” added economist Dominik Stroukal. The government is preparing a new law on affordable housing. He could also get privately owned apartments on the market that are already built but still vacant.
“We have decided that we will present and approve the law in this election period,” said Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš (Pirates). “We need to look for more levels of support and offer options. It is private housing that often lies unused,” added Senator Šárka Jelínková (KDU-ČSL).
According to the opposition, however, the current government has been in power for three quarters of a year and so far it is only talking. She allegedly failed mainly in the case of the construction law. “We have been preparing it for four years, the law is well prepared. It was supposed to speed up construction, which would of course reduce housing prices, and the government is so incomprehensible that everything is being postponed by one year,” said Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Karel Havlíček (ANO).
“The government came up with the change at the last minute, at the end of its mandate. It came up with a draft law that did not have support in the Chamber of Deputies, and the new government took it upon itself to rework it,” argued Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Jan Skopeček (ODS).
pv, TN.cz