Ljubljana, 11 May (STA) - Renting real estate in Slovenia is becoming less frequent than buying despite the fact that the prices of real estate are growing faster than rents, the Mapping and Surveying Authority (GURS) said on Friday. The trend can be seen with both private and commercial real estate.
The average age and size of rental apartments in the last two years matches the average age and size of the apartments available in the country.
The average year of construction of rental apartments was 1963 and their average size was 51 square metres.
Ljubljana as Slovenia's economic and educational centre has the biggest and most active rental market by far. As many as 38% of registered rental contracts in 2016 and 2017 were made in Ljubljana, where rents are higher than the Slovenian average.
In the entire country, median rent stood at 250 euro a month in 2017, while in Ljubljana it was 320 euro.
Novo Mesto in the south-east is the area where the number of apartment rental contracts is the highest compared to the number of flats available. This is mainly because of workers from the Renault assembly plant Revoz and recently also the construction company CGP.
Towns around Ljubljana such as Grosuplje, Logatec, Vrhnika and Medvode also have relatively active real estate markets given the number of apartments available.
Slovenska Bistrica in the north-east, and Nova Gorica and Sežana in the west are also quite active.
Demand in Slovenska Bistrica is boosted by the relatively low rents and the town's proximity to the motorway, which makes it appealing to those working either in Ljubljana or Maribor.
Renting out an apartment is the most profitable in Celje and Maribor, where the average market prices of apartments are about 50% lower than in Ljubljana and on the coast, while rents are only about 33% lower.
In Slovenia, apartments are mostly rented out by individuals. There are virtually no companies in this business.