Slovakia to Tighten Mortgage Rules as Over 10% of Homes Stand Empty Amid Investment Surge

Slovakia's central bank will implement significant changes to mortgage lending rules starting in October, aimed at improving housing access for young people while restricting speculative investment. The National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) plans to ease lending conditions for first-time buyers while tightening requirements for purchases of third and additional properties. The reforms come as investors now purchase more than half of all homes and apartments sold in Slovakia, with tens of thousands of properties remaining practically uninhabited. According to the central bank, more than 10 percent of the country's housing stock currently sits empty. The changes represent one of the most significant modifications to mortgage regulations in recent years, as young Slovaks face the worst housing affordability crisis in the country's modern history.