Empty or designated for demolition rental housing in Belarus may be sold for just one base unit. Gennady Trubila, Minister of Housing and Communal Services, stated this after a meeting with Alexander Lukashenka.
According to the official, currently in Belarus, about 15,000 rental residential premises have been vacant for more than six months. This is predominantly housing built during Soviet times in rural settlements.
More than 1,300 such premises are planned to be reintroduced into economic circulation, as there is demand for them. Another 2,500+ apartments and houses require repairs, and about 6,000 are proposed for demolition due to being unclaimed and in an emergency state.
Regional executive committees have already developed plans for the use of vacant housing. One of the proposed mechanisms is the possibility for local authorities to sell premises that require repair or are subject to demolition for one base unit.
Currently, there is also an auction mechanism with a reduced starting price. However, as the minister noted, such a procedure takes about nine months and requires additional costs for housing appraisal and organizing bids. Moreover, the result does not always justify the costs. Therefore, it is proposed that local authorities themselves determine the list of premises that can be sold for one base unit.
For rental housing that requires repair, another option is proposed. If a person wants to move into such an apartment and carry out repairs independently, the cost of the completed work can be deducted from the rent. Thus, for a certain period, the tenant may be exempt from paying for housing.
Trubila stated that after discussing various options, the authorities see several ways to return vacant rental housing to economic circulation.
He also reminded about the existing possibility of buying out rental housing. Young specialists in the most demanded professions, living in settlements with a population of up to 20,000 people, can take advantage of this. For this, they must work for ten years in the organization that provided them with housing.
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