<p>Over 700 people have expressed interest in cooperative housing in Brno.</p>

Brno - Over 700 people have expressed interest in cooperative housing in Brno and submitted applications to the city hall. Radka Loukotová from the press department of the magistrate told ČTK. At the beginning of the year, the applicants will be evaluated, and later a waiting list will be created. The city will establish a cooperative with the people, which will take out a mortgage for the construction of a building with apartments on city land. After the mortgage is repaid, the city will withdraw from the cooperative, and the apartments will remain with the people. According to Loukotová, the first buildings could be completed in about five to six years. Brno aims to help young people up to 36 years old who cannot obtain a mortgage on their own but can repay it.

Brno collected applications from October 1 to December 31. "By the end of the year, 713 people had registered for cooperative housing. In January and February of this year, we will analyze the registered applicants within the project. On that occasion, we will revise the list of applicants who do not meet the criteria," said Loukotová.

Conditions include Czech citizenship or citizenship of a member state of the European Union and an age range of 18 to 36 years. The monthly income of a single parent or a married or partnered couple must be between 35,000 and 50,000 crowns net. Applicants must also not own residential property and must provide a criminal record extract and a confirmation of no debts, such as from the tax office or health insurance company.

Around March to April, the city will gradually require the applicants to provide these facts. "After receiving this information, we will compile a binding waiting list," added Loukotová. The basic membership deposit in the cooperative is 10,000 crowns. Then, depending on the size of the apartment, applicants must contribute between 400,000 to 700,000 crowns, which will then be deducted from the price of the apartment and land, with the remaining amount paid by the individuals in monthly installments.

Brno plans to build apartments sized 2kk, 3kk, and 4kk. It has identified locations in Černovice Na Kaménkách, in Nové Lískovec at Kamenný vrch II, and in Starý Lískovec at Západní bráně. By 2030, up to 1,500 apartments could be built there, approximately half of which could serve as cooperative housing. The rest could be for seniors, the disabled, and others.

Brno manages 29,000 apartments, which is about 15 percent of the total number of apartments in the city. The rest are in private ownership.