Rental Housing for Young Households in the Czech Republic: Perceptions, Priorities, and Possible Solutions

• Authors: Jana Vobecká , Tomáš Kostelecký , Martin Lux
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This paper describes changes in the housing market after the collapse of communism in Central Europe and analyses the current functions and perceptions of the private rental housing in the Czech Republic. It aims to understand why private rental housing is perceived as a sub-optimal housing solution for young adults, whether this affects their family plans, and which policy design could change that. The article uses qualitative research techniques to analyse mental frames, opinions, and attitudes of both potential tenants and landlords towards rental housing. The authors argue that the main problem of rental housing for young tenants is the short-term lease. Lack of mutual trust between tenants and landlords is a main cause of short-term contracts in the private rental segment. The insecurity it produces among young tenants contributes to delayed family formation. A policy tool aiming to overcome that distrust between tenants and private landlords through the involvement of an independent third party as a guarantor of the relationship is discussed.

Keywords

EN

housing policy; rental housing; focus group; young households; family planning; Czech Republic

Discipline

• SOCIOLOGY: SOCIOLOGY

• Publisher: Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Sociologický časopis. Czech Sociological Review
• Year: 2014
• Volume: 50
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 365-390

Contributors

author

Jana Vobecká

• KAICIID Dialogue Centre, Vienna, Austria, and the Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Jilská 1, 110 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic

author

Tomáš Kostelecký

author

Martin Lux

Identifiers

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.13060/00380288.2014.50.3.102