Apartment rents: Debate on access to deposit funds
politics
Because of the slight demand for the deposit fund of the city of Salzburg, the communists are now demanding that applications be eased. The SPÖ countered that it was about tax money. You have to act carefully. In 2022, only 14 apartment tenants applied to have the city advance their deposits.
The deposit fund of the city of Salzburg is endowed with 25,000 euros. Only 11,000 of these were paid out. Local councilor Kay-Michael Dankl from the Communists criticizes that this is also due to the complicated application process: “There are a few obstacles that are being laid in the way. For example, you need a fully signed rental agreement or a binding rental offer before you can submit the application in the first place. But then the apartment is gone within a few days. The goal would be not to need weeks to get this bail support – and not to be so bureaucratic.”
City councilor rejects criticism
Dankl cites the deposit fund of the communist-led city government in Graz as a model. Salzburg’s Social Councilor Anja Hagenauer (SPÖ) says that it doesn’t work without bureaucracy: “We’ll wait and see for the year. Then it will be presented to the Social Affairs Committee, and then we will tighten it up. Responding to calls like that doesn’t work. We are dealing with tax money here, and it is important to me to be precise.
NEOS demand general review
The NEOS party is critical of the deposit fund. You will determine with the help of an inquiry what the relationship is between the benefit and the administrative burden. If that is questionable, one is in favor of a resolution, says NEOS councilor Lukas Rößlhuber.