Analysis of housing in Slovenia

The biggest problem Slovenians most often cite is the excessive costs of maintaining their property. Most Slovenians complain, in a subtle way, about the high cost of housing rather than the price of real estate, which can be explained by the fact that Slovenians most often decide to renovate an existing property rather than replace an unsuitable property. The second most common problem Slovenians face in relation to real estate is not enough space. This problem is felt especially by single-parent families, as 64% of them live in apartments with less than one room per household member. As many as a quarter of Slovenians have a more serious problem with their property (dampness, lack of daylight, space or a flush toilet), but they do not list it as the worst problem. Slovenians value peace and green surroundings the most, but polluted air, noise and, last but not least, parking problems. City dwellers are significantly more critical of unsuitable conditions, and of these, apartment block dwellers are the most.

According to research, housing is of great importance to Slovenians. For the average Slovenian, the ideal form of living is a single-family house with a garden, which is probably a consequence of self-construction during socialism and the lack of large cities. It is also interesting that practically everyone would like to move from what they consider to be a less suitable housing type (usually a block of flats) to a more suitable housing type (a single-family house), but they do not want to change their place of residence.

The prosperity in the housing sector in Slovenia is felt most by couples without children, while single-family families are in the worst need. Research has found that many young people use an apartment owned by a relative for whom they do not pay rent. It seems that in the past, the older generation acquired more apartments than they needed and gave them to the younger generation to use. Often, the users of these apartments have families and minor children. However, market rental apartments are difficult for young people to access, as only highly educated people with above-average incomes can afford them.

Due to the increased risk, the share of potential households is also growing, i.e. those who would like to live independently and have a partner, but cannot afford it. Moving is also most common among the wealthy and those with higher incomes.

In Slovenia, rental housing accounts for only 9% of the total number of usable housing, while in the EU the average is 25%, and in some countries such as Germany it is even 55%. The results of research are also presented, which establish that tenants in Slovenia are more dissatisfied with the housing situation than homeowners (S. Mandič and A. Cirman, HOUSING IN SLOVENIA 2005, 2006).