|
MoldovaHousing
Even before independence, much of Moldova's housing
stock was
in private hands because of the country's strong tradition
of
private home ownership, especially in rural areas. In 1994
some
90 percent of rural and 36 percent of urban apartments
were held
privately.
At the time of Moldova's independence, housing
construction
was hampered by severe shortages of building materials and
disruptions in deliveries. However, the housing stock
continued
to expand in both rural and urban areas. In 1990 private
builders
accounted for only 26 percent of construction in urban
areas, but
they accounted for 95 percent of construction in rural
areas. In
1990 per capita housing space averaged eighteen square
meters
(fourteen square meters in urban areas and twenty-one
square
meters in rural areas).
All state-owned housing was scheduled for
privatization, in
stages, beginning in May 1993 and using government-issued
vouchers. Apartments that did not exceed state norms for
per
capita space utilization were to be turned over to their
occupants free of charge. People living in apartments that
exceeded space norms would have to pay the state a premium
based
on the average cost per meter of housing construction.
Privatization using vouchers was scheduled to be completed
in the
summer of 1995, at which time there would be an open
housing
market
(see Postindependence Privatization and Other Reforms
, this ch.).
Data as of June 1995
|
