RSS
The National Housing Strategy, launched for public consultation
Empty homes in Romania account for 16 percent of the entire housing stock, according to the draft National Housing Strategy released on Thursday for public consultation by the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration (MDRAP).
"According to a pattern that is highly unusual for a country with superior average income, the number of homes exceeds the number of families - there are about 8 million homes for 7.2 million families. The migration of a large population means that many urban areas are losing population, which leads to an imbalance in supply and demand, the overcrowding of urban centers and a high incidence of vacant homes in others. Romania's 16 percent share of empty homes is among the world's highest," reads the document.
According to the source, this high vacancy rate in Romania is also the result of the abandonment of old derelict structures, restitution claims in litigation and the fact that state-owned buildings are left unused.
There is also a very large number of homes available that have been repossessed by banks from customers who defaulted on their payment obligations. Although official figures are not available, estimates show that there are nearly 20,000 - 25,000 such homes in Bucharest alone, plus several dozens of thousands across the country.
On the other hand, many young families still live in inadequate conditions, under the same roof with the parents or in insufficient spaces.
"The official rental market is almost non-existent, causing young families to either continue living with their parents or extended families or buy a very small home and continue living in it although the family grows," the document mentioned.
The National Housing Strategy, which the government set as a strategic priority for 2016, was launched for public consultation on Thursday. The strategy was developed after the preliminary consultation of representatives of central public administration, the associative structures of the local public administration authorities, academia and NGOs.
Comments and suggestions on the draft National Housing Strategy may be submitted no later than 20 calendar days after the publication of the document on the MDRAP website.