The Sofia Municipality plans to divide municipal housing into two funds. The first will include apartments for “standard rent”, which will be offered for a period of 5 years. The second will include apartments for “market rent”, which will be rented for a period of up to 7 years. The only exception for indefinite accommodation will apply to persons with permanent disabilities over 71% and to elderly people over 65, dnes.bg specifies.
This is provided for by an almost entirely new Regulation on the rules and conditions for the management and disposal of municipal housing, developed by representatives of various parties in the municipal council (SOS) - PP, DB, "Save Sofia", BSP, "Vazrazhdane", ITN and "Blue Sofia", reports "Sega". The project has already been submitted for discussion, with the deadline for submitting proposals being May 9. The new regulation will enter into force a month after its adoption by the SOS.
The distribution of housing in the funds will be made by the SOS upon the proposal of the housing policy committee. It must comply with the proposals of the district mayors. For now, there is no more information on what criteria the municipal councilors will use to assess which apartment to offer for market rent and which to leave for those in need.
The ordinance also states that the housing from the “Market Rent” fund will be rented out after an auction. The starting price will be determined by a certified appraiser. Applicants for such housing will not be subject to the requirement to establish housing need, as is required for the “Regulated Rent” fund.
The conditions for tenants under “Market Rent” will be determined in the contract, which will necessarily contain a clause for annual update according to inflation.
"The tenant shall be notified in writing of the specific amount of the updated rental price by the authority that concluded the contract,” the draft of the new ordinance states.
It expands the circle of city residents who can apply for housing with a regulated rent. The previous groups also include families with a child/children under 35.
A single parent (adoptive parent) will also be able to apply for a housing with a standardized rent. As before, people and families at risk of poverty and social exclusion will be able to apply for a municipal apartment. The requirement is that the average monthly income of the person in need or a family member must be lower than the poverty line for the last 12 months. Housing with standardized rent will also be available to young people aged 18 to 25, coming from social homes in Sofia. People with a permanent reduced working capacity or over 71 percent disability and families with such a person will also have the right to such housing.
The adoption of the new regulation should stop the possibility of selling municipal housing to the tenant.
"Only housing that has been uninhabited for more than 10 years will be able to be sold through a public auction," the petitioners point out. The text also states that the dwelling must have been offered for rent at least three times before.
At the same time, it is stated that already concluded indefinite lease agreements under the current regulation, which will be repealed, retain their effect for the previous lease, with the condition that insurance for the dwelling is concluded.
Detailed statistics on the average prices of properties in Bulgaria by cities and neighborhoods can be seen HERE