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2026-10-31 22:12:48Biznes SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
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Prime Minister Edi Rama recently announced that there will soon be extra taxation for empty homes.

Rama argued that rapid economic growth and rising living costs create social disparities that require intervention through fiscal policies. According to him, one of the measures being considered is the imposition of a higher tax on owners who buy apartments and keep them empty, not putting them on the rental market.

"A super property tax for those who buy and keep empty apartments, refusing to rent them out. It is their right, but they should pay the same as they are doing in some other European countries that are facing the increased cost of apartments," the prime minister said.

There has always been a debate regarding the large number of houses that remain empty, that may have been sold, or are still in the hands of builders many years after the completion of a construction project.

Following the Prime Minister's latest statement, ekofin.al analyzed, with the help of data made available by NAREA, the Association of Real Estate Brokers, the national housing vacancy rate in Albania, which is over 25%. According to the data, this rate has tripled since 2001.

Another data set, provided by ekofin.al, that of household energy contracts from OSHEE/FSHU, gives a similar signal about the extent of homes that are not regularly used.

In December 2025, there were 1,175,894 active household contracts, up from 1,157,926 a year earlier, an increase of 1.55%. But about 20.2%, or 1 in 5, of these contracts had zero consumption each month. In addition, there were 87,181 suspended contracts.

These data constitute an indicator of the non-use of housing, but again should not be interpreted with 100% probability as a direct number of empty houses.

What do energy bills show?

OSHEE/FSHU data are particularly interesting because they measure real energy consumption in household contracts.

In 2025, 20.2% of active household contracts had zero consumption each month. In 2024, this share was 20.6%, which shows that the indicator has remained at high and relatively stable levels.

If the 87,181 suspended contracts are added to this group, about 26% of the contract base is related to some form of non-use or suspension.

However, a zero-energy contract does not automatically mean that the property is empty. It could be a home used only during certain periods, a second property, a seasonal apartment, or a property that for various reasons has no energy consumption.

Likewise, a suspended contract cannot automatically translate into an empty apartment. Experience shows that even when the building no longer exists, the contract remains in suspended status and does not fall outside the stock of family contracts.

The coast has the highest vacancy rate

The problem becomes even more apparent in coastal areas.

According to the analysis, Vlora has a vacancy rate of 52%, while Durrës has 44%. The report attributes this to the greater character of these markets as markets for investment and seasonal properties, compared to primary residences.

This is one of the possible explanations for the Albanian market paradox: the areas where more and more capital is being concentrated are not necessarily the areas where properties are used all year round.

On the coast, some properties can be purchased for seasonal use, for investment, for tourist rentals or as an asset for preserving and growing capital./ ekofin


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