Only a suicidal person would buy apartment in Bratislava, says Robert Fico

The government plans to further expand the state-supported rental housing scheme, PM Robert Fico said. He intends to sign contracts with two additional investors, whom he did not name, and to increase or abolish the maximum income threshold for applicants, currently set at eight times the minimum subsistence level (€2,200). He did not specify whether the state would raise support for investors; so far, the only incentive has been a reduced 5% VAT rate. Rents in these apartments are set at market levels.

“Housing has become an unattainable luxury, and apartment prices in Bratislava are so high that only a suicidal person would buy one there,” Fico said, defending the rental model and arguing that home ownership and mortgages can be overly burdensome. (pravda.sk) Fico and his son own apartments without mortgages, and financial constraints are not an issue for them.