Lääne-Viru County was the first to hit its limit. By 1 p.m., most of the rounds had been filled, based on both the counties and the method of reconstruction.

"Around 400 applications have been received so far. Budgets were first exhausted in Lääne-Viru County, Harju County, Rapla County, and Järva County. Currently, there is still an opportunity to submit applications in Valga County, Põlva County, Hiiu County, Saare County, as well as in Ida-Viru County and for large apartment building budgets," said EISA's head of housing association subsidies Daniel Vain.

But only a few applications have been submitted from Ida-Viru County by that time.

The region was also allocated an additional €15 million from the European Union's Just Transition Fund, taking the total subsidies available to €25 million.

Uncertainty about the future and low real estate prices are seen as the reasons for the slow uptake.

"Sixty percent of our residents are pensioners, so we cannot take their last bit of money or expect them to take out a loan for 30 years — it is uncertain. You would have to be quite an optimist to invest that money, knowing you probably will not be able to sell the apartment. We have so many apartments for sale as it is," said Raissa Vares, the chairman of Kohtla-Järve apartment cooperatives.

Urmas Mardi, a member of the board of the Estonian Union of Co-operative Housing Associations, said there is a lot of interest in renovation subsidies, but it would be better if the application rounds were held regularly.

"The opening of reconstruction funding should be consistent, allowing people to know, for instance, that a new round opens every May. This would give them time to prepare, as preparing housing associations actually takes a significant amount of time. On average, it's about two years from the general meeting's decision to implementation. Organizing these meetings and reaching a positive decision is time-consuming. Therefore, it's important to have consistency, so associations can apply for reconstruction loans annually," he said.

"A total of €330 million in support is available until 2027, meaning an additional application round will open next year as well. The Ministry of Climate has also commented that further application rounds will open in the following two years," said EISA's Vain.

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