Most parties agree on supporting social housing

Prague - The state should help people who cannot take care of their housing for objective reasons. This is agreed upon in the election programs by the majority of the five political parties that, according to recent polls, would make it into the parliament. This follows from the findings of ČTK. The only party that does not address housing policy in detail in its program is TOP 09.
    The support for social housing is agreed upon by the ČSSD, ODS, KSČM, and KDU-ČSL. According to the Civic Democrats, supporting social housing is the "duty of the state." They promise to support the construction of homes with care services, day centers, transitional housing, barrier-free or adjustable apartments for the disabled. KSČM also wants to focus on the construction of similar housing.
    In the program, Mirek Topolánek's party is the only one that mentions the introduction of a temporary benefit for social housing in relation to housing policy. This assistance should be provided to citizens who objectively cannot afford the rent. However, according to the ODS, assistance must not be tied to specific houses and apartments, but to socially needy households.
    Communists as well as the People's Party plan to support the construction of so-called starter apartments for the young. Both parties also agree with the social democrats on supporting the construction of rental apartments.
    KDU-ČSL also promises to support the development of housing in rural areas, for example in the form of low-interest loans provided by the State Housing Development Fund. According to them, these should be increased from the current 300,000 to 500,000 crowns in localities with up to 5,000 inhabitants. Social Democrats want to support young families with children in acquiring their first apartment or in renovating older housing through preferential loans for people under 40 with deductions for each newborn child.
    The parties differ in their opinion on the ongoing deregulation of rents. While ODS and KDU-ČSL advocate a gradual release of rents, KSČM wants to maintain regulation of housing costs and set "factually controlled rents." According to the Communists, the monthly rent should not exceed 45 crowns per square meter. "The new law on rental agreements should define the legitimate rent, derived from locally customary management costs for buildings and from costs used for their modernization and reconstruction," states KSČM. In addition, the Communists want to rehabilitate cooperative housing.