First Dozens of Flats Available in State-supported Rental Housing

Bratislava, March 11 (TASR) - The state-supported system of rental housing received from an investor, the Kooperativa insurer, the first batch of about 70 flats, located in the Ovocne Sady development area in Bratislava, with the first 20 flats reserved for employees of the Bratislava University Hospital. The opening ceremony on Tuesday was attended by Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD), Transport Minister Jozef Raz Jr. (Smer-SD), Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) and Kooperativa chairman of the board and general director Vladimir Bakes. Potential tenants can apply for one-, two-, or three-room flats, with the rent being regulated by the state and calculated based on the average wage in the given region. According to Fico, the monthly rent will be more advantageous than either commercial rental or mortgage payments, even more so if employers decide to contribute to the project as well. In the current project, average monthly rent equals about €326 for one-roomer, €416 for two-roomer and €545 for three-roomer. "This is the symbiosis we wanted to demonstrate: the mutual interest from the investor, the state, citizen and employer. It's attractive even without employer contributions, but with them it becomes absolutely appealing. That's also what the entire essence of this project is about," added Fico. mf