Who among Vitebsk residents is eligible for square meters and a preferential loan?

The correspondent of "VV" found out which Vitebsk residents are eligible for square meters and preferential loans.

Everyone dreams of their own living space as a small but strong sovereign state, where they can relax and unwind after work, lounge on weekends, and generally feel like a full owner. But... it should be taken into account that there are favorable and not-so-favorable moments in life for solving housing problems. To begin with, let's determine who is currently eligible to acquire the coveted meters and a preferential loan.

As reported by the Housing Policy Department of the Vitebsk City Executive Committee, one of the independent grounds remains the norm of provision with a total living space of less than 15 sq. m per person. An exhaustive list of grounds is established by Article 35 of the Housing Code of the Republic of Belarus. As for preferential lending, its provisions are optimized by Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 13 of January 6, 2012 "On Certain Issues of Providing State Support to Citizens in the Construction (Reconstruction) or Acquisition of Housing". The document establishes categories of citizens eligible for benefits. Priority rights are retained for large families raising children with disabilities, as well as families with disabled persons of group I-II; those living in dormitories for at least 10 years; those who have contracted and suffered radiation sickness as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster; those entitled to social housing from the state housing fund.

The right to receive preferential loans on a first-come, first-served basis is retained for veterans of combat operations in other countries; young families with two minor children; citizens who, in accordance with the legislation, have the right to receive social housing from the state housing stock out of turn; judges and prosecutors; adult young people who are laureates of the special fund of the President of the Republic of Belarus for the support of talented youth; scholarship holders of the President of the Republic of Belarus; able-bodied adult family members of a tenant of social housing in case of his death or departure to another dwelling for permanent residence; adult family members of a deceased (killed, declared missing) tenant of service housing from the state housing stock.

For military personnel, the right to receive preferential loans under the conditions established by Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus of April 3, 2008 No. 195 is retained.

Citizens registered with the Vitebsk City Executive Committee since July 31, 2008, are currently invited to improve their housing conditions.

Many are interested in the participation of organizations and enterprises in this process. According to specialists, this norm is not new. Citizens have the right to be registered as needing to improve their housing conditions both at their place of residence (in the executive committee) and at their place of work. In the latter case, one must rely solely on the employer.

As for the cost of housing, a one-room apartment in the regional center with a total area of 39 sq. m will cost 237-263 million rubles, depending on the layout and materials. A two-room apartment with a total area of 63 sq. m will cost from 384 to 425 million rubles. The cost of 1 sq. m of housing in large-panel buildings made of block sections is currently from 6.05 to 10.9 million rubles, in large-block houses - 10.4 million rubles.

Let's return to young and large families. They can solve their housing issue with financial support from the state in accordance with Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 585. Speaking of the first category, to meet the status, at least one of the spouses must be under 31 years of age at the date of registration, and the presence of minor children is also taken into account.

Regarding down payments for housing construction, they remain. Such investments are not required only if the total area is less than 15 sq. m per person, provided that they voluntarily withdraw from the list of those in need of improved housing conditions due to the difference in credited meters.

The amount of preferential credit for the construction (reconstruction) or acquisition of residential premises should not exceed 90% (for large families, 100%) of the construction cost of normalized sizes.

Our readers are also interested in the possibility of using commercial housing. We inform you that a residential premises of this type from the state housing stock is provided to citizens under a lease agreement for temporary use for a period not exceeding 5 years. The amount of payment depends on the size of the base rate with the application of coefficients depending on the degree of improvement and location. Information about available commercial residential premises, if any, will be posted on the website of the Vitebsk City Executive Committee www.vitebsk.gov.by, section "Economy", subsection "Construction", "Housing Policy Department". Such apartments are not subject to privatization, exchange, division, sale, or sublease agreements.

Privatization

The most pressing issues today are related to housing privatization. As explained by Marina Areshchenko, Head of the Housing Policy Department of the Vitebsk City Executive Committee, there are currently no specific deadlines for privatization. In addition, the state provides certain benefits. That is, payments can be arranged in installments. 10% of the apartment's cost is paid immediately, and the remaining 90% is distributed in equal installments over 40 years. The debt can be paid off earlier. The installment plan is interest-free, not indexed, and not changed.

It is important to know that the decision on privatization is valid for 1 year. During this time, the sale and purchase agreement must be notarized. The possibility of submitting applications to the "one-stop shop" department of the authorities or organization, if the apartment is not in communal ownership, will not expire, for example, on January 1, 2014. Most likely, the process will continue into the next year. But you shouldn't delay with this. Today, the Vitebsk City Executive Committee receives up to 70 people a day on this issue by appointment and in the general queue.

For your information. To officially formalize the sale and purchase agreement (privatization), the notary needs a receipt for the payment of 10% of the property value. Further, the agreement is subject to registration with RUP "Vitebsk Agency for State Registration and Land Cadastre", where you should obtain documents confirming the ownership rights (registration certificate and technical passport). If the apartment is in a housing construction cooperative (ZhSK) building, it does not need to be privatized. You only need to contact the aforementioned agency to formalize the documents. Certain categories of citizens have the right to privatize an apartment with benefits established by law. The valuation of residential premises is carried out by commissions formed by local executive and administrative bodies, legal entities.

In brief about important matters

As of today, there are 392 thousand apartments in Belarus, or 14% of the total housing provided under lease agreements.

The estimated cost of identical areas can vary greatly. Thus, the privatization of a two-room "Khrushchevka" will cost from 30 million rubles or more. The average cost of a 2-room apartment in a panel building constructed in the 1970s-80s is about 100 million rubles, a 3-room apartment in a brick building from the late 1990s can be valued three times higher than the previous one. Of course, much depends on the year of construction, location, availability of amenities, and other factors.

Information that a property owner has the right to evict even family members who do not own a share of the property without providing alternative housing has a basis. That is, currently, stricter rules are in place for defining kinship. The new Housing Code regulates the procedures for concluding and terminating written agreements recognizing a tenant, property owner, or member of a developer organization as a family member. For example, a wife's child from a previous marriage is, to put it mildly, "not a relative" to the husband who owns the property. However, there are many "buts" here. The presence of registration of the person residing in the premises at the time of housing privatization, participation in the privatization process itself, and much more should be considered. Each specific case requires an individual approach.

The possibility of forced eviction of an apartment owner is also provided for in case of a six-month debt for housing and communal services (without valid reasons), with the provision of housing of a smaller area in the same locality.

Nadezhda Fondarenko, Vitebskiye Vesti