The government has announced an indefinite freeze on rent payments for some families, student renters, and small businesses.
The rent freeze will only apply to people and small businesses whose work has ceased as a direct result of a Ministry of Health order.
People who have stopped working due to fear of infection, lack of clientele, or breaks in the supply chain are not included among those who will receive relief.
Furthermore, only people who are registered as workers will be able to profit from this measure, leaving those engaged in informal work without any relief.
In a Facebook post, Prime Minister Edi Rama also asked renters to report landlords who insist on collecting rent nonetheless. He warned that landlords that violate this order will receive fines 5 times larger than the rent they charge.
Though this measure is likely to help some small businesses, it may negatively affect families whose sole source of income is rent collection.
In contrast, the Kosovo government will subsidize rent for small and medium businesses up to 50%, providing relief to both businesses and landlords.
