More than half (55%) of Bucharest residents currently living on rent do not plan to buy an apartment next year and want to continue renting, according to a Colliers International study.
However, 45% of them consider changing their rented housing, the majority (66%) because they want a more spacious or better positioned apartment, including new buildings, and only a third because they want to lower their rental costs.
The crisis caused by the coronavirus is beginning to show its effects on the housing rental market as well.
In Bucharest, students have left many empty properties, apartments previously rented per night have been converted into apartments with monthly rent and the number of rental offers in the market began to grow.
The value of rents remains the main factor for tenants when choosing a rental or another.
In the current uncertain context created by the Covid-19 pandemic, tenants are looking for security, either by reducing the rent or moving to a smaller space, either by reaching a longer-term agreement with the owners or registering contracts at the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF).
Compared to the previous crisis from 2008-2009, lease registration ensures owners binding, enforceable documentation, facilitating money recovery from tenants.
Beyond the cost of the monthly rent, most respondents who consider it more profitable to rent than to buy their home are also looking for certain functionalities that suit their needs and lifestyle, such as parks, green spaces and playgrounds located in proximity, which have become almost as important as the access to public transport.
If the proximity to a supermarket has always been a priority, top preferences this year also include pharmacies, which are requested by almost 50% of tenants, according to data from the study requested by Colliers International.
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