A new law allowing lessors to evict tenants who don’t pay rent, without having to wait for a court decision, is having a dramatic effect on non-payers, say local housing officials. Vladimír Sekanina, head of the Slovak Association of Housing Cooperatives, reported people arriving in a panic with “Sk50,000 to Sk60,000 in cash” to settle debts to municipalities for rent on public housing. “Everywhere we are hearing that this law is really helping.” As of September 1, 2001, lessors have been able to issue non-payers a three-month notice of eviction without needing court approval of the move; municipalities offering subsidized housing, who had borne much of the non-payment problem, have reported a dramatic turnaround as people have paid old debts in fear of losing their accommodation.
Compiled by Tom Nicholson from press reports.
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