FRAMEWORK AND EMPHASIS

The City of Reykjavík’s policy that 5% of apartments in Reykjavík are social rental apartments is a part of meeting the fundamental human right to affordable housing and promoting better finances, health and increased opportunities for individuals to participate in society.

The development, priorities and plans of social housing in Reykjavík are based on the priorities of the city's authorities and the board of Félagsbústaðir. The aim is for the supply of social rental housing to increase in proportion to the increase in apartments in the city and not go below 5%. In the last 10 years the number of social rental apartments have increased by 821. 

Emphasis is placed on ensuring that the proportion of social rental housing is as equal as possible in the city's neighborhoods, but this is also determined by supply, price and other factors. When buying apartments, many factors are taken into account, e.g. HMS' rules on reference sizes, apartment condition, maintenance needs, layout, location, accessibility and other factors. Félagsbústaðir's strategy is to buy individual apartments in apartment buildings across the city, but the company also builds small apartment buildings that meet the specialized needs of a specific group of disabled people. As a general rule, Félagsbústaðir does not own more than 10% in an apartment building where ownership is distributed. 

Between 2023 and 2027, it is estimated that the number of new social rental apartments will increase by 382 plus 125 apartments for people with disabilities. 

Increase in the number of social apartments in the years 2013-2023

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