County Development Centres: more than 400 apartment associations have shown an interest in KredEx support measures
26.11.2021
Since spring, County Development Centres all over Estonia have been advising apartment associations free of charge on the topic of various KredEx grants, loans and guarantees, and in the past few months, 430 associations all over Estonia have taken advantage of this opportunity.
"KredEx has been cooperating with County Development Centres since spring in order to offer associations and, in the future, also private individuals the best possible on-site counselling by experts who are well acquainted with local conditions,” said Triin Reinsalu, Head of the Housing and Energy Efficiency Department of KredEx. “The statistics of the first months show that this was a very necessary and expected service, as a total of 430 associations in different counties have taken advantage of the advisory service.”
According to Andres Huul, member of the management board of the Network of County Development Centres, there is interest in all services dedicated to apartment buildings, including renovation loans, guarantees and reconstruction grants.
“According to the feedback from the associations, the possibility to get information about their own home is very positive, as it gives extra motivation and makes it easier to move forward with upgrading and increasing energy efficiency,” said Andres Huul.
Associations can also invite a consultant from a County Development Centre to an apartment association meeting so that members of the association can ask the expert directly about various issues of interest to them, and consultants have already visited more than 20 associations. “We believe that next year, when the new call for applications is approaching, the interest of associations in inviting consultants to their meetings will also increase,” he added.
Apartment associations can ask the County Development Centre for help in regard to the conditions and suitability of different services, application requirements, timetables and deadlines. If necessary, the consultants will also provide help with filling in and submitting the KredEx application.
Associations can use the consultation service in 14 development centres across Estonia; only in Harju County will KredEx still offer the consultation service instead of the Development Centre.
KredEx offers various grants, direct loans and sureties for renovating apartment buildings and increasing energy savings. Last year, € 100 million was allocated as support to apartment buildings; this funding will be used to renovate around 310 houses in Estonia. In the next few years, KredEx will distribute a stable amount of 50-60 million euros per year in grants, which means that at least a few hundred houses can be renovated each year. Since 2015, nearly 750 apartment buildings have been renovated all over Estonia with the support of KredEx.
To use the consultation service, the apartment association needs to find the contacts of the Development Centre in its area and contact them to arrange a meeting. A list of the Development Centres is available at: www.arenduskeskused.ee/kontakt/