Yet another Czech city announces its entire territory to be a housing benefit-free zone

Czech Television reported last week that the northern city of Ústí nad Labem has announced that its entire territory, including the community of Trmice, which falls under its jurisdiction, is now a zone where state housing benefits will no longer be newly awarded to residents. City Hall has assessed the entire city as meeting the definition of an “area with an increased incidence of socially undesirable phenomena,” which is the condition for halting the awarding of housing benefit eligibility.

Anybody who newly concludes a rental contract in Ústí nad Labem as of 4 March 2019 will no longer qualify for state housing benefits there. Any residents of the city newly applying for housing benefits after that date and anybody newly taking up residence in the city after that date will no longer qualify for the state housing supplements.

The measure does not apply to other welfare benefits in the state system. The new zones will not affect existing residents who have already been drawing the housing benefit, even if their rental contracts are for a fixed time period.

The zoning will also not apply to the residents of facilities there that offer registered residential social services. The administrative authorities have rejected the objections that were filed against the measure.