Zadrugator is a housing cooperative based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, established in 2016 by a group of students and young professionals who sought alternatives to conventional housing models. Their formation was a response to Slovenia’s housing market, dominated by private ownership, with limited affordable rental options, especially for young people. Zadrugator’s primary objective has been to promote and implement cooperative, non-profit rental housing as a sustainable solution.
The cooperative began as an informal initiative around 2014, emerging from local discussions and research into cooperative models abroad. By 2018, Zadrugator had positioned itself as a leading organization in Slovenia for researching and advancing cooperative housing. A milestone project is a planned three-storey building near central Ljubljana, to be developed on a municipal plot. This pilot is supported by a loan from the national housing fund and aims to offer lower-than-market rents while ensuring financial sustainability. The initial plan aimed for 20–30 young people to either renovate or construct a building, serving as a test case for the broader adoption of cooperative housing in Slovenia.
Zadrugator is an active member of MOBA, a transnational network of Central and South-Eastern European housing cooperatives, established to address shared regional challenges in affordable housing. Their activities extend beyond building projects: they engage in advocacy, work with government bodies on supportive policies, and contribute to public debates on housing. Through these efforts, Zadrugator offers a concrete, cooperative-based alternative within Slovenia’s housing landscape.