WE WANT SAFE HOUSING FOR LONGER THAN A YEAR!
— Sign the petition!
We all need a place to live. Housing is a basic necessity of life and a human right. Yet it is becoming increasingly unaffordable for more and more groups of people – whether they own or rent. Moreover, the Czech Republic has long been among the EU countries where people renting are most burdened by housing costs.
Although the government has promised to propose a reform of tenancy relations, it has not taken any further action for more than a year. We still face rising rents, weak legal protection and uncertainty as a result of chaining short-term contracts. Without an adequate response from the state and a strong tenants’ movement, the situation will be intolerable in the future.
We call for an end to the chaining of short-term contracts and the settlement of tenancy relations! Rental housing must become an equal form of housing.
Share the petition with friends and neighbours
We require:
An end to chaining of short-term contracts and better tenancy protection
Providing lease contracts for a year or just a few months is a common practice in the Czech Republic. This causes a power-biased environment in favour of landlords. Although we do not have to sign such a contract, we often have no choice, because almost nobody offers a contract for an indefinite period. People who live in rented flats with short-term contracts are thus forced to live in insecurity. That is why we are calling for new legislation to end the practice of chained short-term contracts. We are also calling for the automatic renewal of short-term contracts for an indefinite period, unless there is a breach of the contract during its term. At the same time, we propose an economic advantage (e.g. in the form of a tax break) for landlords who offer long term contracts.
Regulating rental housing prices according to clear rules
Rents are regulated in some form in 13 EU countries. In the Czech Republic, rents for fixed-term contracts are determined according to data provided by private real estate agencies. For them, housing is a business and therefore they seek the highest yield. For long term contracts, there is a regulation – a maximum increase of 20% over three years. However, such an increase does not correspond to the growth in real incomes of tenants. Moreover, this regulation does not apply at all to the most common type of contract – fixed-term contracts.
The price of rent must be set by democratic bodies, not by real estate agents. It must reflect the real economic situation of the population (e.g. real wage growth). Another possibility is that the rent price is defined by an index or price maps that take into account the quality of the apartment and its location, while ensuring that people from different economic classes live in each neighbourhood. The rent price must be linked to the property, not to the tenancy, which means that the landlord cannot increase the rent after a change of tenant.
Progressive taxation of unused and investment housing
While for most of us, houses mean housing and a home, for others, the more affluent classes, they mean the opportunity to make money quickly and easily – and at the expense of the rest of us. Indeed, investment buying and property speculation is one of the main causes of housing unaffordability. That is why we are calling for a progressive property tax to ensure that renting out dozens of flats for profit ceases to be an attractive business opportunity. As cities are spread over a limited space, the number of flats that remain empty due to speculation cannot be ignored – in such cases, landlords need to be incentivised with a special tax for non-occupancy. The funds thus returned to public budgets should be used mainly to support housing (expansion of urban housing stock, energy efficiency improvements in buildings, housing allowance).
Tackling energy poverty and providing energy efficient housing for all people in rented accommodation
Even before the energy crisis, hundreds of thousands of households could not afford to heat their homes adequately. With the rapid rise in energy prices, the number of people in energy poverty has risen to almost one million. It is tenants who are most at risk of energy poverty. This is because they are unable to make savings, replace windows or change the heating source in their rented accommodation themselves. Landlords are usually reluctant to invest in repairs to their flats and houses because they cannot bear the energy costs themselves. If renovations do take place, they often lead to rent increases that skyrocket, making the plight of people in rented housing worse instead of better.
With the planned mandatory European standards, this trend may get even worse. We need to change this and, through a well-thought-out regulatory and subsidy policy, not only motivate landlords to make savings, but also ensure that tenants are protected from arbitrary rent increases and, conversely, direct investment in renovations to help those who need it most – i.e. primarily people in rented housing.
What else can you do to improve the lives of tenants?
I’ll fill out the registration form and participate in the Tenants’ Initiative!
As the Tenants’ Initiative, we seek social change to bring dignified and sage housing to those who cannot achieve home ownership. We believe that the only way to achieve this change is to work together. We are building a membership organisation that gives tenants a voice and is able to defend them against injustice. You can join a specific working group and regularly participate in the running of the Initiative, or you can become a passive member and contact the Initiative when you run into a problem with your landlord. In the Tenant’s Initiative Prague we got a Work Group for English Speaking Foreigners as well!
I’ll support the Tenants’ Initiative with a donation.
Our activities are based on membership fees paid by all members. Membership fees allow us to hold events, continue to grow, and support fellow tenants in need. In return, it offers a number of benefits to the members. INN’s goal is financial independence so that we can best advocate for tenants’ rights. Alongside the membership fees also donations can help us do this. If you would like to support us, you can do so through the Darujme platform.
I’ll spread the petition in my neighborhood.
For example, you can share the call on your social networks, tell your flatmates or neighbours, your family, your co-workers about the initiative and invite them to the next INN public meeting.