Liepāja housing stock problem – high rent / Article / LSM.lv

For several years, companies have been facing the problem of providing accommodation for employees who come to work in specific factories. Local authorities cannot help companies directly, taking into account the procedures prescribed by law. In turn, some businesses are trying to solve the problem by hiring only local residents or offering employees a place in service hotels. Respondents from Liepaja point out that it is difficult to find apartments in the city, given the relatively high rental price.

One million or 69% of Latvian dwellings are multi-apartment residential buildings. 45% were built by 1941, and 53% by 1961-1992. In turn, only 2% were built between 1992 and 2018. year. According to a part of the surveyed population, it is difficult to find apartments in Liepaja mainly due to high rental prices.

” There is such a thing is not easy to find. Of course, he will not pay 100 euros, he will pay 300 euros, ” said Anna from Liepaja.

” It’s not hard, but it’s expensive. Prices are a problem, but there are many offers. It has now been found, but now a much wider will. It is crazy to give 300 – 400 euros to the owner on his hand, ” Kārlis from Liepāja pointed out. Kaspars, who has returned to Liepaja from abroad, sees an opportunity to build his own house.

For some time now, the housing stock has also been a topical problem in the Liepaja-based company Caljan, which manufactures telescopic conveyors. The company currently employs 180 people, but with the opening of the new factory last week, the number of employees will be increased to 250 – so the problem of finding a place to live will only become more pressing.

“In the initial stages, we provide dormitories for newcomers, employees who are from Ukraine, for example, and then over time they look for their own living space, because dormitories are not quite comfortable to live in,” said Gatis Dradeika, head of Caljan.

The company “Lesjofors Springs LV” tries to avoid the problem by hiring Liepaja residents and training them on site in the factory.

” We are developing automation, we are trying to improve the qualifications of existing employees. As a result, we can produce more with the existing employees we have, “said Ingars Jaunzems, a member of the board of Lesjofors Springs LV.

Liepāja municipality currently provides apartments almost every month either to socially disadvantaged people or to young specialists working in local capital companies, such as doctors. There are also certain conditions, and usually a specialist can stay in a rental apartment for up to three years or during an employment relationship. The municipality cannot help the private sector directly, taking into account the procedures prescribed by law, but it can be done by the state with various co-financing programs for the construction and purchase of housing, for example, through the financial institution Altum.

“The municipality is ready to both auction the building rights and sell a plot of land, find a district and sell it. We are ready for cooperation, ” said Mārtiņš Tīdens, Deputy Executive Director of Liepāja Municipality.

During the last couple of years, several buildings have been reconstructed in Liepāja, creating apartments there, which are both for sale and not for rent.

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