Parliament Amends the Law on Apartment Rentals

The Croatian Parliament amended the Law on Apartment Rentals on Friday, which is intended to resolve the issue of protected tenants, allowing property owners to regain possession of their property by September 2023.

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An integral part of the law became the amendments proposed by the SDSS, under which, if the local unit lacks the capacity, the obligations towards the protected tenant will be assumed by the Agency for Legal Transactions and Real Estate Mediation, as well as that, when placing in a home for the elderly, the tenant must express their willingness for it.

The law prioritizes interested protected tenants aged 70 and over for admission to homes for the elderly whose founder or owner is the state or local government units in the area where they reside.

The Parliament voted on the amendments with a majority of votes, out of 81 present representatives, 72 voted ‘for’, eight against, and one abstained. There were no representatives from the opposition parties SDP, Most, and Živi zid in the chamber.

SDP’s Arsen Bauk previously called on all representatives who care about the rights of protected tenants not to participate further in the voting. This is the only way for this law not to be adopted, said Bauk, adding that members of the ruling majority who oppose the law will enable its adoption by remaining, clearly targeting the HDS, HSLS, and HDSSB clubs.

That club requested that the law in question be discussed in the third reading, which was rejected.

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The Parliament, at the proposal of the majority clubs, adopted a Conclusion on measures for the implementation of the Law on Apartment Rentals. Among other things, it tasked the Government to adopt a program of measures by the end of November 2019 to ensure a sufficient number of apartments within the POS and/or other apartments owned by local units or the state for rent or sale to any interested protected tenant, subtenant, and presumed tenant, no later than August 31, 2023.