Slovakian State Housing Policy
The Slovakian State Housing Programme (SSHP) has used a series of five-year plans and is a good illustration of long-term cumulative housing reform.
Description
While Slovakia experienced upheavals during transition in the early 1990s, including mass privatization of its housing stock, it has since actively built the legal and financial architecture required to gradually improve and adapt its housing system. The SSHP recognizes the leading role of the government in creating legal and investment conditions that improve access to housing, particularly for low-income households. It has pursued this role in a step by step, strategic and well-integrated manner, working across related policy areas – from justice and finance to social affairs and regional development.
Actors involved
Government of Slovakia
Results
The 2010-2015 Programme gave central importance to sustainability – defined as being supported by social, economic and environmental pillars. The completed plan made fundamental progress in terms of legislation, mission-focused institutions and programmes, contributing to better-functioning housing markets and involving action by Parliament and six different ministries. The reforms were completed within the planned timeframe (2011-2014). These clearly specified tasks have built an institutional and legal framework with improved access to housing and improved technical quality, thereby improving energy efficiency and durability.
Challenges still exist and the most recent SSHP (2020) builds on past efforts to address them. It continues successful SSHP subsidy programmes and activities and also clearly outlines new priority tasks for specific ministries.
Some of the completed tasks include:
- Updated regulations on rents for dwellings acquired using public funds
- A review of tax instruments supporting investment in rental housing
- Development of a feasibility model of housing allowances to create conditions for sustainability of adequate housing
- Investigation of a legal framework, regulatory system for providers, and implementation tools for not-for-profit housing provision
- Assessment of the adequacy of legal rights and responsibilities associated with short-term tenancies.
Scale
National
https://www.employment.gov.sk/files/ministerstvo/ksbp_en_final_version.pdf
An initiative of:
