For those thinking of renovating a block of flats, hurry up – the first to apply will receive support

For those thinking of renovating a block of flats, hurry up – the first to apply will receive support

From 11 November, residents can apply for support for the renovation/modernisation of a multi-apartment building. The Multi-apartment Modernisation Programme has an allocation of €165 million, which will be distributed to multi-apartment buildings according to the timing of the application. Ignas Daunys, Head of Renovation at Civinity, a company that manages and administers multi-apartment buildings, points out that the support will be granted to those multi-apartment buildings that apply for funding first.

Those who apply first will receive support

From 11 November this year, the Environmental Project Management Agency is accepting applications for funding for the renovation (modernisation) of apartment blocks. This new call for applications offers residents of multi-apartment buildings support from the European Investment Bank’s Modernisation Fund amounting to €165 million.

In this follow-up call, unlike in previous calls, applications from residents will not be accepted through a competitive procedure. This means that all apartment blocks will be eligible for multi-family renovation funding, but the funding will continue to be available until the allocated funds are exhausted.

“Officially, applications will be accepted until 1 October 2025, but practice shows that this amount of the call will be exhausted sooner than the planned deadline. So those who want their apartment building to be renovated should complete the necessary procedures and submit an application as soon as possible,” advises I. Daunys.

Steps to be taken to obtain funding

Owners of flats and other premises of a block of flats and other premises considering renovation should first contact the administrator, who will organise a meeting and provide all the information on the content and procedures of the call, as well as organise a vote on the preparation of the investment plan.

Once a majority of the residents have agreed on the preparation of the investment plan, the administrator hires external experts to prepare the investment plan.

According to the expert, it is important to understand that the preparation of an investment plan takes time. Usually, the investment plan is prepared within a month, but in the case of a high level of interest and in order to submit applications as quickly as possible, it is possible that the timeframe for the preparation of the investment plan will increase due to a queue of people requesting this service.

The completed investment plan is submitted to the residents of the blocks of flats for approval. Once the majority approval is obtained, the administrator submits an application for support to the Environmental Project Management Agency.

From this point on, the apartment block is eligible for support, and whether it is granted depends on whether the money allocated for the call has not yet been used. If an application for assistance is submitted after the grant has run out, it is announced that such applications will be placed on a reserve list.

If the process starts now, the house will be renovated in 2026

When starting the renovation of a block of flats, it is important to realise that it is quite a long process. It usually takes about one and a half years from the submission of the grant application to the start of the works.

During this time, the support contract is signed, the financing documents are signed, procurement is carried out, and the technical design of the work is prepared. If you apply for funding now, you can expect that the construction work on the apartment building will start in the first half of 2026 and that the building will start saving energy in the autumn of that year.

According to the expert, these timelines are approximate and do not take into account circumstances such as changing rules or interpretations by public authorities during the process.
How much you will have to pay for renovation

State support is granted to cover part of the costs of preparing a project for the renovation/modernisation of a multi-apartment building, administering the project and carrying out construction maintenance, as well as the implementation of the renovation/modernisation measures.

The new call for proposals changes the calculation of the support: whereas previously the support was expressed as a percentage, the State support is now calculated at a fixed rate, depending on the size of the apartment building and the energy efficiency class to be achieved.

According to the expert, if you live in a standard apartment of 45-55 square metres, including the State support and spread over 20 years, you will pay around €140-180 per month for the renovation of your apartment building, including the interest on the soft loan.

However, after the renovation, residents also save on average €40-50 per month on heating and €10 on building maintenance, so the final cost of the renovation per month for such an apartment will be around €90-120.

For residents entitled to heating cost compensation, the state fully covers all the costs of renovating the apartment building, so renovation is completely cost-free for those in need.

Energy performance requirements are getting stricter

The new call part-finances renovation/modernisation projects for multi-apartment buildings with an energy performance class B or better.

The energy performance class shows how much heat a block of flats consumes. The higher the class, the less heat energy the building consumes. Class A houses consume the least heat energy.

According to Mr Daunis, the move away from Class C support reflects a general trend and regulation in the European Union to make buildings as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible:

“Energy class B is the optimal option for the cost of renovation and energy savings for multi-family buildings, so we encourage residents to be proactive with this call for applications. It is likely that in the future the energy class requirements will be even more stringent, which would make the cost of renovation work significantly more expensive,” says the expert.