After finding refuge from the Russian aggression against Ukraine on the Montenegrin coast, Katja Mikhina has already moved several times in the month of her exile, looking for cheaper accommodation.
This nineteen-year-old shares her refugee concerns with her brother's wife, who is expecting a new baby at the end of June. Because of the baby, the family decided that the two of them should seek safety from war destruction outside of Ukraine, while the parents and brother remained in Odessa.
When they arrived in Montenegro, the cheapest accommodation was offered to them in Petrovac, fifteen kilometers from Budva, for around 500 euros per month in a one-room apartment, says Katja. However, when it became clear to them after a few weeks that the Russian aggression would last and that it was uncertain when they would be able to return to their country, they decided to look for a cheaper apartment.
They moved to the hinterland of Bečići near Budva for half the price. But I can only stay in the current apartment until the beginning of the tourist season, because renting real estate during the summer in coastal towns becomes more expensive.
By renting apartments to tourists by the day, landlords earn much more when they rent them at monthly prices.
"We can't stay here after mid-June, because it will be too expensive for us. I can't even imagine such money," Katja told Radio Free Europe (RSE).
Price increases in the tourist season
Most Ukrainians who are not from tourist regions do not know that here the rental price changes before the season, and now when the landlords announce it to them, they are a bit in shock, Irina Kuchma from the crisis headquarters for helping Ukrainians in Budva told RSE.
She has been living in Montenegro for nine years.
"Renting apartments is both work and food for some people, and that's understandable. But there have also been examples of offering outrageous prices to refugees, when a small and unfurnished apartment is wanted for rent at a very high price. Fortunately, these are sporadic cases." , says Irina.
He adds that housing is a particularly big problem for refugee mothers with small children, and according to the data of the crisis headquarters, there are around 400 refugee children in Budva alone.
Real estate agencies in Budva confirm that with the arrival of a large number of Ukrainians and Russians in the past few months, apartment rental prices have risen from 50 percent to even double for those in better locations.
Many landlords now ask for rent to be paid at least half a year in advance.
Bombastic and harmful headlines
It is evident that the increase in tenants from Ukraine and Russia has made renting apartments more expensive, but the bombastic headlines that "Ukrainians and Russians were buying everything" are not true, the owner of the real estate agency Tomislav Ranković told RSE.
"They are currently renting, but not buying real estate. Why aren't they buying? Because they can't pay via account. If someone managed to bring money in cash, they still can't make a purchase because the sellers don't want to accept the cash, since it I can't pay to my account," explains Ranković.
He adds that the reason for the jump in prices on the real estate market, apart from the wave of price increases, in the case of Budva, is also the fact that there are not enough apartments on offer:
"A lot of people gave up selling real estate because they saw that renting is currently going well, because Ukrainians and Russians increased demand, and immediately the price went up. If the rent of a one-room apartment was 300 euros, now it is up to 600 euros."
The government allocated money for housing refugees, but...
Those who have avoided due to the increase in apartment rents are increasingly contacting the Embassy of Ukraine in Montenegro for help, RFE/RL was asked what the state of Montenegro has done so far to provide housing for Ukrainians who cannot pay high rents during the season.
The Embassy constantly emphasizes this problem to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP), which is the main department for solving the issue of Ukrainians under temporary protection, the Embassy of Ukraine replied.
They remind that the Law on International and Temporary Protection stipulates that the Montenegrin state must provide accommodation for persons under temporary protection who need it.
"The government of Montenegro has allocated two million euros to solve the housing problems of Ukrainians under temporary protection. But, due to technical issues and often communication problems, the practical solution to housing for Ukrainian refugees does not work completely," the chargé d'affaires of the Embassy of Ukraine, Natalia, told RSE Violet.
What has been done so far to provide housing for refugees from Ukraine, and whether collective housing has been provided for them in Montenegro - these are questions that RSE sent to the MUP, but, as they say, they have not received an answer so far.
According to official data, there are currently around 6.700 refugees from Ukraine in Montenegro, of which five have submitted an application for international protection, and 1.432 have applied for temporary protection. With this measure, the Government approved their stay in Montenegro for up to one year, with the right to health care, education and work.
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