As Merien Ilic/Novac writes on the 23rd of April, 2019, while some can’t wait for the Croatian tourist season to arrive, others see it approaching with tears in their eyes and with gritted teeth. The latter are, of course, Split’s many tenants who in recent years, somewhere around this time of year, have begun to be afraid that they will be kicked out of the apartments they’re renting and have to settle all of their bills, after having signed a contract (and one can only guess how much weight that really holds legally) and despite there having been no objections whatsoever to their behaviour as tenants.
Practice has shown that the euros which line the pockets of tourists are worth more than the kuna of Croatia’s actual residents, so during the summer, beginning as early as the Easter holidays, numerous apartments are rented to foreign tourists who think nothing of paying multiple times what your regular Croatian tenant can pay for one month’s rent.
Apartment ads which are in the “long-term” rent category are a real attraction indeed, and each and every genuine such ad is quickly snapped up, disappearing from the internet.
”I have more than 200 inquiries in my inbox and I’ve had about thirty calls in record time, so I apologise to anyone I didn’t manage to get back to. I’ve just agreed to rent out my apartment. I wish you all luck in finding an apartment!” stated one landlord in a group for the long-term rent of apartments in Split and its surrounding areas. The apartment in question was located in Sućidar, it looks tidy, has two bedrooms and was rented for 3000 kuna per month, plus the electricity and water supply. Realistically speaking, this was a real gem because such apartments, especially those that have been done up nicely, are very rare for such a price.
Those who are looking for a flat have drastically different experiences from the field.
”I’m giving up on searching in Split. We’re a family of five and we have to move out of our rented apartment because the owners want to rent it to tourists, and the search for a new one is impossible. The price are sky high, and they look at us as a family of five with appehension. You can’t find a respectable apartment under 500 euros,” this was the unsettling experience of a tenant who was searching for a place Split’s surroundings, and eventually found an advertisement for a nicely decorated apartment in Vranjic for 400 euros per month long term.
Social networking sites such as Facebook are full of common experiences of people who have come across apartments being rented at sky high prices by landlords, and which appear to not have even seen a paintbrush or some new wallpaper for the last few decades.
People describe being met with 40 year old rugs and carpets, furniture from the socialist era and landlords seeing no issue whatsoever with still wanting 400 euros plus bills for month for such apartments.
A social networking user detailed his personal experience:
”There was a flat for rent in Brda, “long term”, in a private eighty square metre building. We went to look at it, everything was great, the woman seemed alright, and we were also alright. There were two of us and two other guys. The owner said she’d get back in touch with us because someone else was still coming look at the apartment too. I called her at noon today and she says to me, “I’m still thinking about it, we’re a serious family, I’d prefer someone younger if we end up deciding that they need to move out earlier. It’s easier to get younger people out of the apartment than it is with a family.”
The second stated that tenants are unprotected and usually without a contract. Many landlords don’t even register people renting, they don’t pay taxes, and life tends to be the most difficult of all for students in the area searching for long-term accommodation during their studies at local universities.
As the situation in and around Split worsens all the more for would-be long term residents, a similar situation can be found in almost all of Croatia’s tourist gems, with particular emphasis on Dubrovnik, a city which lives and breathes tourism and has continually put it far above any of the often very basic needs of its burdened residents for many years now.
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Click here for the original article by Merien Ilic for Novac/Jutarnji
