Struktura stambenih statusa u tranzicijskim zemljama rezultat je privatizacije državnog stambenog fonda tijekom 1990-ih i recentnih stambenih politika koje su podržavale vlasništvo nad stanovima. Niz stambenih istraživanja dokazuju da je naglasak na stanovima kao kapitalu doveo do velikog porasta razine vlasništva i cijena stanova te, nakon krize, do pada ulaganja u europskim gradovima. Postoje također dokazi da je stambena potrošnja određenih društvenih skupina snižena, što je dovelo do pogoršanja kvalitete stanovanja, a ponekad čak i gubitka domova. Uporabom postojećih tradicionalnih instrumenata stambene politike teško se je nositi s tim problemima. Program javno najamnih stanova ističe se kao inovacija za podmirivanje hitnih stambenih potreba, odnosno kao priuštivo stanovanje. Program tog tipa u Gradu Zagrebu sačinjen je sa svrhom podmirivanja potreba mladih obitelji s djecom koje nemaju pravo na dodjelu socijalnog stana, a ne mogu si priuštiti stambene kredite za kupnju odgovarajućih stanova. U središnjem dijelu rada prikazani su rezultati ankete provedene među korisnicima programa javnog najamnog stanovanja. Anketnim istraživanjem provedenim na prigodnom uzorku od 270 kućanstava zagrebačkog naselja Novi Jelkovec tijekom prosinca 2014. i siječnja 2015. mjerio se utjecaj modela javno najamnih stanova, kao socijalne inovacije, na kvalitetu stanovanja stanara.

Housing tenure structure in transitional countries is the result of privatisation of state owned housing stock during the 1990s and recent housing policies which supported homeownership. A recent housing study gives evidence that an emphasis on housing as capital has led to a great rise in homeownership levels and housing prices and, following the crisis, to an investment slump in European cities. There is also evidence that housing consumption of certain social groups was reduced, leading to deterioration in quality and sometimes even the loss of homes. Using these traditional housing policy instruments makes it difficult to cope with these problems. Public rental housing programme is asserted as an innovation to meet pressing housing needs and provides affordable housing. In the city of Zagreb, Croatia, it has been created to meet the needs of young families with children who are not eligible for social rental housing and cannot afford housing loans to buy appropriate flats. The core part of the paper presents results of the survey carried out among users of public rental housing programme. The survey carried out among on a random sample of 270 households living in the Novi Jelkovec housing estate during December 2014 and January 2015 measured the impact od public rental housing model, as a social innovation, on the quality of housing of tenants involved.