THE RENT GOES UP
The rent of apartments in Bulgaria is expected to increase by 10% during 2009 because more and more people prefer to rent due to the stricter rules of banks for lending.
The most popular apartment for rent are located in the central parts of Sofia and the neighbouring areas like Reduta, Geo Milev, Pliska, Strelbishte and Ivan Vazov. Concerning the size of the rental apartments the studios and the one-bedroom apartments are mostly in demand. Depending on the location and if the apartment is furnished, it can get a rent of 350 Euros per month. In the up-market Lozenets the rent of luxury apartments is 1000 Euros per month.
Apart from the central parts of the city, Mladost and Drujba in the outskirts are also very popular. Until now, studios and one-bedroom apartments were rented for 250-350 Euros per month but from the next month is expected that these rents will increase by 20 Euros per month. Most tenants try to secure a clause in their rental contracts that their rent will not increase in the next twelve months.