A 110 square-metre apartment in Jurišićeva Street for 6,500 kuna, a 95 square-metre apartment in Degenova for 5,500 kuna… Rental rates in the Zagreb city centre are so high that many tenants if they decide to look for an apartment in this area, cannot find an apartment which they can afford. Especially in December, when the Zagreb Advent brings numerous tourists to the capital. In addition to extremely high prices, the problem is that there are few apartments offered for long-term rental at all, which is not surprising given that owners who opt for short-term rentals to tourists can earn a monthly rent in just a few days, reports Večernji List on November 17, 2018.
The number of apartments offered for short-term rentals in Zagreb is higher in December than in the rest of the year. “Many property owners who have empty apartments opt for short-term rental during the largest event in the city. It is better than to have an empty apartment,” said Marko Marinšek, who rents out apartments in Gundulićeva Street.
However, short-term rentals demand a lot more effort from the owners than long-term leases, where owners just have to take care that the monthly rent and utility bills are paid on time.
“On the other hand, many people have stopped renting their apartments, due to too much competition. Some have even taken their apartments from the market altogether,” said Bruno Babić from the Apartments in the Zagreb Centre association, which brings together more than 20 apartments of different owners. But this does not prevent others from trying to rent their apartments to tourists.
Despite the fact that there have never been more apartments offered for short-term rental, all the apartments which are part of the association have already been booked for the Advent weekends, mostly by tourists who will arrive in Zagreb by plane. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in December are more or less booked, with a few vacancies available over the week.
There are no apartments in the city centre which are available for long-term rental under 300 euro a month, said Anita Vukoja, the owner of In-between real estate agency, which rents out apartments for her clients. “The demand is the highest for two-bedroom apartments and studios from 300 to 500 euro a month. As soon as they appear on the market, they are rented the very same day. At the same time, people looking for an apartment complain that it is impossible to find any,” said Vukoja. “There are many people who are buying apartments just to offer them for short-term rentals,” added Vukoja.
The average price for a four-bed apartment in Zagreb is 50 euro per night, although such apartments can cost up to 100 euro in the centre.
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Translated from Večernji List (reported by Petra Balija).
