The Minister of Economy and Innovation, Delina Ibrahimaj, presented the draft law on social housing to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Public Administration. The new draft law aims to provide the expansion of housing schemes and the creation of new financial instruments for students, young couples, families, and professionals.

The draft law includes interest-free loans for the purchase of homes, guarantee mechanisms for financing down payments, rent subsidies for students and professionals, and a "rent-to-own" (lease-to-purchase) program.

Referring to the interest-free loan scheme, the Minister cited the example of a 6-million-lek loan with a 30-year term, where the monthly installment would be approximately Lek 17,000, compared to Lek 32,000 under a 5% interest rate.

Minister Ibrahimaj stated that for students pursuing master’s degrees and for professionals, a subsidy covering half of their rent - based on rates approved by municipal councils - is envisioned. Meanwhile, the "rent-to-own" program, she emphasized, will allow families to have a portion of their monthly rent payments applied toward reducing the purchase price of the dwelling.

The Minister further noted that the draft law provides for the establishment of a Fund for Housing and Social Cohesion, which will pool resources from the state budget, the private sector, and other lawful revenue sources. This fund will finance housing programs and enable the reinvestment of proceeds from housing projects into the development of new initiatives.

Another element, according to her, is the 30-40-30 model for the construction of integrated neighborhoods: 30% of the housing units will be dedicated to social housing, 40% to affordable housing, and 30% will be available for sale or rent on the open market.

Referring to the implementation of the Law on Social Housing since 2018, Ibrahimaj announced that 31,000 Albanian families - comprising approximately 100,000 citizens - have benefited from the existing programs. Over 14,000 families have received support for rent payments, more than 7,000 have benefited from low-interest loans, over 1,000 social housing units have been built, and living conditions have been improved for more than 6,000 other families.