Brno-střed rents apartments that the tenant will be able to repair

Brno – The councilors of the Brno-střed municipality approved new rules for allocating municipal apartments, which tenants will now be able to repair at their own expense. This was stated by the city hall spokesperson Kateřina Dobešová in a press release. Until now, the municipality only rented out repaired apartments, which was, according to Dobešová, time-consuming. Now, interested parties will be able to renovate apartments at their own cost, half of which will be deducted from the rent.

The new rules were approved by the councilors today. The opposition criticized the proposal for lack of transparency and possible skipping of applicants. The new rules include approval for repairs at one's own expense, which will allow the municipality to free up more available apartments.

"It will save time and costs for apartment repairs. Apartments were previously released for rent only after the municipality reconstructed them to make them habitable, which is very time-consuming," Dobešová stated.

Now it will be possible to free up an apartment for occupancy that has been renovated to the extent that the tenant does not have to interfere with systems such as electricity, rising pipes, and so on. "However, finishing work will still be needed, such as painting the apartment, laying flooring, tiling the bathroom, and equipping it with fixtures and kitchen furniture. This way, the tenant can adapt the apartment to their needs," Dobešová said.

According to her, it can be expected that an interested party will take better care of such an apartment. "Everything will proceed according to the agreed schedule and itemized budget, which has a clear upper limit. Additionally, the tenant will further offset half of the costs through rent in the future," the spokesperson added.

The first apartments could be released by the city hall at the turn of September and October, said the mayor of Brno-střed, Vojtěch Mencl (ODS). "This opens up an opportunity for interesting housing for those who are willing to invest in their future apartment and adapt it to their own taste and ideas. I expect that such tenants will live in our apartments long-term and will be interested in caring for the building together with others and maintaining it properly," Mencl said.

Other changes include simplifying the registration of applicants for apartments. "It is valid that people can apply for a rental apartment in any municipality according to their needs. Specific conditions apply for applicants, which are established by the city of Brno supplemented by conditions set by each municipality," added Dobešová.