"Have you seen the wallpaper from the developer? It's a nightmare." Why is state-provided renovation in apartments for those on the waiting list criticized?
Apartments built for those in need of better housing conditions are handed over with mandatory renovations, not just bare walls. It seems convenient, but not everyone is satisfied with this approach.
Completely Refusing State-Provided Renovation is Impossible
A woman who built such an apartment in Baranavichy complained on Threads about this mandatory renovation.
"We are doing renovations in a new build, and it's a disaster. I'm shocked, and it makes me sick. We built as those in need of better housing conditions, and the cost included renovations. The cost of renovations is $7000.
We refused it (most of it), but the money isn't returned; we just saved a little time and money on dismantling," the blogger describes the situation and then lists the main complaints point by point.
For example, the girl doesn't understand why water meters in the kitchen are placed so high and why there are so few electrical outlets in the house.
"And the wallpaper! Have you seen the wallpaper from the developer – it's a nightmare for a designer, and even for a non-designer. Door installation without architraves," she lists.
Basic Minimum
Some commentators concluded that if a person is truly considered to be in need, they shouldn't complain about the renovation. They argue that such people should be satisfied with the very opportunity to build housing on preferential terms.
"So you received the apartment as someone in need, meaning you have nowhere to live/it's cramped in your current living space, and you don't have the means to buy one yourself. Don't you think the words 'in need' and 'designer' renovation are somewhere on opposite ends of the universe?" writes one commentator.
"The point is, if a person is in need, this basic minimum should be enough, and if you have money for renovations, then how are you 'in need'?" another believes.
The blogger, in response, explains that being in need of improved housing conditions does not mean being a pauper.
There were also those who immediately redid everything to suit their own taste.
"There are those who need at least this much – let them pay these 7 thousand and be happy, no questions asked. For some, it's not needed, and it just turns into a waste of money.
Why do something that will be thrown away when you can just not do it and not waste money?" asks a woman who also purchased an apartment in one of the district centers with mandatory finishing.
"It's all the same. Everything was done simply according to the project, and then they redid everything themselves to suit their own taste. All the outlets and everything else. There were even issues with the windows, they fixed them," another shared her experience.
Some note that such an approach is more about caring for state-owned manufacturers than for apartment buyers.
"Developer's finishing for those in need is contractors and material manufacturers parasitizing on our taxes," wrote one commentator.
"Such renovations support the failing pants of many enterprises: a 'Keramin' toilet in every home, a 'Gefest' stove, Beryoza tiles, Homel wallpaper, and so on," another believes.
What does this renovation look like?
There aren't many apartments sold with state-provided finishing, but a few ads in Minsk give a fairly clear idea of what is done there.
This is what the renovation looked like in one of the apartments sold in the house at Ubarevich Street, 98A. Grey wallpaper and grey laminate. There are electrical outlets in every corner of the living room, but all of them are single.
The flooring and wallpaper are the same in all rooms. The kitchen has a stove and a cast-iron sink.
White walls are only in the bathroom and toilet. The floor has grey tiles, which are very similar to those in the stairwell.
Another one-room apartment was recently for sale in a house for those on the waiting list at Karvata Street, 3a.
It features the same grey wallpaper, a cast-iron sink, an electric stove, and a grey floor, though with a slightly different shade.
And in the bathroom and toilet, there are brown tiles, not grey. Accordingly, the same tiles are in the stairwell.
50 Shades of Grey
An apartment with similar finishing is currently for sale in the building at Stsyapana Zlobina Street, 16.
The interiors feature the same grey wallpaper paired with grey laminate. And so it is in all rooms, except for the bathroom and toilet.
Interior doors and hardware are also as budget-friendly as possible.
Grey tiles are on the floor in the bathroom and toilet. There's a sink, a bathtub, and a toilet.
Besides people on the waiting list for improved housing conditions, apartments with similar finishing are usually given to those whose houses have been demolished.
Should it get better?
But all these apartments in the photos were built under old regulations. The thing is, since July 1, 2026, an updated instruction from the Ministry of Construction and Architecture has come into effect, which should bring a higher standard of finishing.
Here's what is meant by higher standards: if previously in the bathroom and toilet the walls were painted, and tiles were only mandatory on the floor, now the walls in bathrooms and sanitary facilities must be fully tiled with glazed tiles.
If the old standard allowed the use of linoleum and planks, now linoleum can be forgotten. In living rooms, only parquet boards or laminate are allowed. In corridors and storage rooms – tiles or laminate. In kitchens, bathrooms, on balconies, and in vestibules – only tiles.
In addition, in city apartments, stretch ceilings will be allowed in kitchens, bathrooms, and utility rooms instead of painted ones.
How much the updated standard will affect the number of satisfied residents is a complex question. Given the developers' approach to material selection, it cannot be ruled out that the same tiles on the kitchen floor and bathroom and toilet walls will only incur additional costs for their removal.
Can such apartments be sold immediately?
Yes, unlike apartments with preferential lending, there are no restrictions on the sale of apartments built by those on the waiting list.
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