After 14 months and CZK 45.5 million, the renovation of the apartment building on Hálkova in Brno-Husovice is completed. The building contains 12 renovated apartments, mostly two-room apartments suitable for young couples and families. For the first time, the city will also offer one starter apartment to individuals, as approved by Brno city councillors on Wednesday.
“The apartments on Hálkova are larger than most of our starter apartments,” said Karin Podivinská, deputy mayor for housing and property management. “Thanks to their generous dimensions of around 50-60 m2, they can comfortably house families with one or two children.”
However, one studio apartment in the new building is being offered as a starter apartment for a single person. This is a change in the city’s approach to young people who live without a partner, who are usually passed over for municipal housing in favour of parents with children or seniors.
“Young individuals are a vulnerable group in the housing market, as they are responsible for paying all the housing costs themselves,” added Podivinská. “We would like to help them settle in Brno, so that they do not have to leave the city due to unaffordable rents, move to the surrounding area and then have to commute into the city with difficulty.”
Of the 12 new apartments on Hálkova, 10 are starter apartments for young couples and families, one is a starter apartment for an individual, and one is wheelchair accessible. While the accessible apartment is occupied according to a waiting list, the tenants of the starter apartments will be selected by lottery.
Anyone who meets the specified criteria can apply, i.e. they are not over 40 years old, do not own real estate intended for housing, do not have an income higher than 1.7 times the average gross salary in the Czech Republic (or in the case of an individual, 1.0 times; specific figures are listed on the websites brno.cz or bydleni.brno.cz). The rent is fixed at 122.80 CZK/m 2 /month, adjusted annually by the rate of inflation announced by the Czech Statistical Office for the previous calendar year.
Foreign nationals can also apply, but they must have permanent residence in the Czech Republic (including EU citizens).
The total renovation of the house lasted 14 months, and included the removal of the common toilet with the construction of sanitary facilities in each unit, the extension of the 4th floor with three apartments, the installation of an elevator, and modifications to the courtyard, where a community garden and a rest area with a gazebo and benches are set aside for future tenants, and a slide and swings for children. The city invested CZK 45.5 million in the project. The finished apartments were handed over in June 2024, and are now waiting for the approval decision. Applications are being accepted over the coming months, with tenants expected to start moving in by the end of 2024.
