World Heritage sites to be sold criminally cheap in the Buda Castle

source: MTI/Soós Lajos

Parliament favours the Housing Act on Tuesday, which enables tenants of municipal housing to buy homes in World Heritage sites for a fraction of the market price. The ratio of the votes ended up being 134 votes in favour and 25 against.

Like the vote on the homophobic law disguised as the Paedophile Act, the MSZP, DK, LMP, Dialogue and Momentum boycotted this vote.

The first version of the Housing Act came from the representative of László Böröcz, and then it was stated that local governments would be obliged to sell rental apartments in World Heritage areas to tenants, even if they had only moved in 1-2 years ago. There was no provision in the draft that tenants who received housing below the market price could not pass it on at a much higher price.

Fidesz’s mayors also protested against Böröcz’s proposal, as did opposition politicians and non-governmental organisations, as it would have made it impossible for local governments to help the locals with their housing problems and would have undermined their autonomy.

Fidesz then amended the proposal that local governments should only sell flats that are located in a World Heritage Site and its protected area, in a listed building, or in houses that were then subject to a ban on alienation and encumbrance, but have since lifted this restriction. It has also been stipulated that the tenant can only buy the apartment if they had an indefinite tenancy on 31 December 2020 and its duration reaches five years.

However, another amendment was made later, and this version was the one now voted on by the Parliament:

in the case of exchanged rental rights, the purchase price of 50 per cent was reduced to 35 per cent,
the instalment payment period, once reduced from 25 to 15 years, will be reinstated to 25 years,
it was included in the text only in relation to the Castle District that out of the approximately 800 flats that can be purchased here, the function of those located on the ground floor can be changed to commercial, service and cultural purposes,
Companies cannot buy a rental apartment in the Castle, and there can be a maximum of two apartments owned by a single private individual; only EU citizens can acquire ownership.