Podgorica, (MINA-BUSINESS) – The Tenants’ Association of Montenegro is deeply dissatisfied and outraged by the increasingly difficult situation of people living in rented homes across the country.

“Instead of housing policy serving as an instrument of social security, it has turned into a field of manipulation and injustice, while tenant, who make up a huge share of the working-age population, remain second-class citizens,” the Association stated in a press release.

In Podgorica, the rent for a one-bedroom apartment has risen from around €343 in 2015 to around €548 this year, while on the coast such apartments rarely cost less than €600–700.

“Average salary has increased from around €476 to approximately €1,010, but the average worker still spends 54 percent of their salary on rent, compared to 72 percent back in 2015,” the press release states.

The minimum wage has risen from €193 to €450, but in Podgorica and on the coast the rent for a one-bedroom apartment exceeds the full minimum salary, ranging from 122 to 144 percent. This means that workers earning the minimum wage have nowhere to live unless they share an apartment with several others or fall into debt.

“Landlords increasingly demand upfront payment, i.e. the first and last month’s rent plus a deposit, which is an insurmountable obstacle for families already struggling to make ends meet. On the coast, seasonal ‘clearing out’ of apartments for tourism forces tenants to pack up every year and search for a new roof over their heads,” the Association said.

According to the press release. Landlords do not have any obligation to the state, while the state rewards them by tolerating the informal economy. Tenants are left to the mercy of the market with no protection whatsoever.

The Association demands the urgent establishment of a public register of tenants – a process it has already initiated independently without any support – arguing that there can be no real housing policy without such a register.