Housing care for victims of domestic violence

Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets care for victims of domestic violence in the territory of the entire Republic of Croatia by renting out appropriate housing units

Pursuant to the Act on housing care in assisted areas, theMinistry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets conducts housing care for victims of domestic violence, in the entire Republic of Croatia, by renting out the appropriate housing unit.

Where an application may be lodged

A person who has the status of a victim of domestic violence may submit a request for housing care to the competent administrative body in the county or to the competent administrative body of the City of Zagreb, throughout the year.

Conditions for exercising the right to housing care

In order for a person who has the status of a victim of domestic violence to exercise the right to housing care, the following conditions must be met:
final judgment on domestic violence committed against the applicant
that the applicant does not own or co-own another immovable family house or apartment in the territory of the Republic of Croatia
that the applicant does not have sufficient funds to provide the appropriate housing unit necessary for housing and cannot achieve it by his or her work, income from assets, from maintenance debtors or otherwise, i.e. where the total income and total receipts of the applicant and the adult members of his or her household do not exceed monthly the amount of one budgetary basis per household member
recommendation of the competent regional office of the Croatian Institute for Social work on the need for housing care for victims of domestic violence.

Who decides on the right to housing care

The first-instance body to which the application was submitted, i.e. the competent administrative body in the county or the competent administrative body of the City of Zagreb, shall issue a decision on housing care for the victim of domestic violence for a maximum period of up to two years and submit it to the Ministry for execution.
 
The validity of the decision may be extended after the expiry of the two-year period, at the request of the beneficiary, if the reasons for which the decision was issued continue to be determined in the proceedings before the first-instance body.
 
The appeal against the decision of the first-instance body is decided by the second-instance body, i.e. the Ministry of physical planning, Construction and State Assets.

Additional information - permanent housing care

A person who has the status of a victim of domestic violence may also exercise the right to permanent housing care within the scope of the Act on housing care in assisted areas (assisted area and area of special state concern).
 
Application for permanent housing care is submitted in the competent administrative body in the county, each year within 1 January to 31 January, and it is necessary to enclose the documentation prescribed by the Regulation on criteria for scoring applications for housing care.
According to the said Regulation, an application listing a household member who has established the status of a domestic violence victim achieves a one-off of 40 points, the status of which is proven by a final court ruling on domestic violence committed.
 
Scored applications are included in priority lists, which are formed in the competent administrative bodies according to housing models. In order of the executive priority lists, these administrative bodies resolve the rights to housing care, in accordance with the available funds in the state budget and the available state-owned housing fund.
 
Decisions on the right to housing care are submitted by the competent administrative bodies to the Ministry of physical planning, Construction and State assets for implementation.