Real Estate Articles

​Rent of the office in the center of Kyiv on Sofiivs’ka Street.

To rent an office in the center of Kyiv is not so easy. There is a lack of really appropriate offers, and the prices are pretty high. A rational solution is to rent an apartment for an office. In such an inexpensive office it is convenient to place an IT company, a team of lawyers, a travel company or a yoga studio. The main advantage of the office-apartment is the comfortable and prestigious location in the historical center of Kyiv, right away from Maidan Nezalezhnosty Square. The office belongs to a housing stock. But this is not the obstacle to its proper functioning. Read more Rent the office on Sofiivs’ka Street in Shevchenkivs’kyi district for work, presentations and communication! The facade house, entrance from the street, the clean entrance, the convenient and safe location, the developed infrastructure, good transport interchange. Metro stations: Maidan Nezalezhnosty, Khreschatyk. Price: 23,000 UAH.No commission! Favorable conditions! If you are looking for the comfortable office in the center of Kyiv, contact the real estate agency Teren Plus. Our managers are always happy to help you.

War to hostels, peace to hotels. How Ukrainian lawmakers can scare away foreign tourists.

A bill No. 6424 "On Amendments to the Housing Code of the Ukrainian SSR", submitted on May 3 for the consideration of parliament, perfectly shows the attitude, at least of a part of the elite of the country, to the small and medium-sized businesses. Instead of the possibility to legalize the offices and hostels located in the apartments, the document suggests imposing huge fines on their owners. Which, of course, everywhere will be replaced by bribes. What’s terrible about a hostel or a small office on one of the floors of blocks of flats? For the residents of neighboring apartments - nothing. In any case, there are fewer problems from such neighbors than from an adept of exercises with a perforator on Sunday mornings. Yes, and the example of European cities, where hostels, small offices, legal offices or medical offices in a multi-storey building – is the routine thing, which shows that there is nothing wrong in this phenomenon there. But municipal officials and the police dream such objects in the nightmares. Although their owners have not officially received permission to change the purpose of their apartments and it’s easier than ever to find violations of the Housing Code in their activities, you can not tax enterpreneurs. Adopted in the distant 1983, the Housing Code forbids dealing in residential apartments only with industrial production. The other cases of entrepreneurial activity are not specified directly. Therefore, the owners of such apartments can maximum be held responsible for the abstract "violation of the rules for the use of residential buildings." And this is from two to seven non-taxable minimums, that is 34-119 UAH. Some tears, in general. However, now fans of "baksheesh" are in anticipation. People’s deputies from the BCP Dmitry Andrievsky, Andrei Shinkovich, Arthur Gerasimov, deputy from the NF Alexander Kodola and non-fractional People’s Deputy Yury Levchenko proposed to change the Housing Code. The bill, they submitted, directly prohibits the placement of offices and hotels in the blocks of flats. Justifying the need for such a ban, the authors of the project appeal to the fact that the conversion of flats takes place without taking into consideration the norms of fire safety, and daily visits to such places by a large number of people lead to increased loads on elevators. It is worth noting that, for example, in Rome or Budapest, hostels in houses with old, built in the beginning of the last century, lifts can be found on any of the central streets. And there’s nothing wrong with the elevators. As well as there are no fires because of the offices. Lawyers and psychoanalysts do not quit their jobs, forgetting to turn off the iron, and do not fall asleep in their waiting room with a burning cigarette in their hands. But these are trifles. "Tourist insiders have been complaining for several years that one of the main factors hampering inbound tourism is the excessive appetites of Ukrainian hoteliers" More important is another. People’s Deputy did not embarrass that the Committee on Regulatory Policy and Entrepreneurship in 2007 had already considered the issue and concluded that if the owners of the converted apartments do not damage the environment and do not violate the rights of neighbors, they can use their property for business. And if it so, then all that needs to be done is to facilitate the procedure for changing the purpose of the apartments so that the entrepreneur can legally equip a hostel or office in it without going through 12 circles of bureaucratic hell. It is obvious that the legal hostel will regularly pay the tourist tax, which now its owner puts in his own pocket, and from the office owner it is possible to take on the renovation of the porch more than from the usual tenant. But there is nothing said about all this in the draft law. Instead, the authors of the initiative propose to punish violators by a fine of 2 thousand to 5 thousand non-taxable minimums, that is, in the amount of 34-85 thousand UAH. Well, the amount is quite serious, to agree with the inspector "amicably" and pay only a part of it in the form of a bribe. Especially strange all this looks taking into consideration the efforts of the state aimed at the development of tourism. European tourists, if they go to have fun in the belligerent country, it is only because of its cheapness. Insiders of the tourism industry have been complaining for several years that one of the main factors hampering inbound tourism is the excessive appetites of Ukrainian hoteliers. And if instead of developing a segment of budget housing, we will begin to destroy hostels, then it is unclear why it was necessary to spend 30 million euros for holding Eurovision? However, so far it is only a question of the draft law submitted to the Verkhovna Rada. To become a law, it has a long way to go. And I want to believe that on this path common sense will defeat the flawed logic of "taking everything and banning everything." Author of the article: journalist, Evgeniy Gordeychyk Source: Focus.ua

Tenant`s deregistration: from now the owner holds all the aces

If you are the owner of square meters, of course, you are interested in renting your apartment in the centre of Kyiv with as much profit as possible. Most landlords prefer as tenants foreign citizens (especially Europeans) - representatives of international companies, etc. The owners consider this to be a guarantee of a stable long-term rent and accurate rent payments. However, renting of the apartment to foreign citizens involves a number of bureaucratic procedures, for the landlord to pass. And for the majority, they resemble "seven circles of hell. According to the Ukrainian law, foreign citizens who stay in Ukraine for more than 90 days must issue the employment permission, on its basis – Temporary residence permit, where the place of registration will be indicated. For many owners the necessity of registration of a foreign tenant becomes a stumbling block because the main fear of the lessor is the tenant`s deregistration if he leaves without registration canceling and takes away the original of his Temporary residence permit. As far is known, a temporary registration is abolished in Ukraine, and if the Temporary residence permit has expired, the tenant remains registered in the apartment until filing of Application with the request of registration canceling. It turns out that a reliable tenant with a good budget is found but the lessor does not want to make the registration for him because of the above-listed concerns. As a result, the apartment is not rented, as the registration is a matter of principal for foreign tenants nowadays. Indeed, according to the Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine since 22.11.2012 "On the Approval for the Procedure of registration of the residence of private persons in Ukraine," the reason of the registration canceling is the Application about the deregistration represented by foreign citizen or his representative and the original of the Temporary residence permit. However, how to be in the situation when the tenant left without canceling his registration and took the documents with him? Before it was possible to cancel the registration in such case only applying to the court, what in most cases supposed waste of time, money and nerves of the owner. A good news for the owners is that on May 5, 2014. the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine adopted the Annex to the above-mentioned Order. According to this Annex, the owner can on his own cancel the tenant`s registration without his presence (without notarized power of Attorney from a foreigner for registration canceling) and the original of his Temporary residence permit. In order to proceed with this the owner of the apartment should represent to the Municipal Administration of his district (Center of administrative services providing) the following documents: The Administrator of the Center of administrative services providing receives from the owner the Application for the tenant`s registration canceling, registers the Application, then sends the documents to the State Department of Immigration and Citizenship where the tenant`s registration is canceled and DIC passes this information to the passport officer of the district ZHEK.

Estimation of out-of-town real estate

Real estate in the outskirts of Kyiv is considered to be a promising target for financial transactions. Its purchase – is a profitable investment, sale – is a considerable sum of money in the pocket, renting - a constant additional income to the family budget. However, how to be: to pay the appointed amount of money or to put a price on your own? The best solution will be an independent estimation, which will determine the fair market value of the real estate. Having decided to rent an apartment daily in Kyiv or a country house for a long-term, tenants often believe that the rent price is off the mark. To avoid a possible conflict, an independent estimation of the rental rate should be made before the conclusion of the contract. Possessing the official document, you will not only confirm your words and find an understanding with the tenants, but also you will not make a bad bargain. The execution period of the out-of-town real estate estimation varies from 3 to 7 days. 1 day – execution period is possible on condition that all the necessary documents and examination are provided, but it will be more expensive. The cost of estimation (for example, land plot estimation costs about- 500 UAH) depends on various factors and for more accurate determination each case should be examined individually. Since November 1, 2013 in case of purchasing or selling the real estate estimation is obligatory in Ukraine. It is carried out by estimators certified in the State Property Fund who calculate the price on the basis of ownership documents, building and land plot engineering data. Taxes will be charged from this sum and not like it was before when they were understated to the level of BTI evaluation. As to the temporary use of real estate or rent of apartments daily in Kyiv, estimation is necessary if the real estate is public or state-owned. Also it is not obligatory to estimate donation and inheritance deals. In these cases estimation is carried out on owner`s own request for justifying the price and avoiding financial risks. This service helps to avoid conflicts when parties of contracts want to overprice or lowball. It`s worth remembering that the price of country houses is not a constant, and their evaluation will be valid for a certain period. It may happen that in case a deal was not concluded, for the next one you`ll have to carry out a new estimation.

Professional approach to the housing issue

Father's home keeps a lot of memories, but the children gradually grow up and want to have their own accommodation. Separate rooms and old apartments can be let for the rent. However, how easy is to find a tenant or an owner, for whom the quality of the housing and the price were relevant? Private agreements often lead you into the hands of fraudsters, and as a result the keys you get fit the other doorlock. Therefore realtors come to your rescue. It may seem that the newspaper advertisements are much cheaper than a certified realtor, however it is a big mistake. Of course, it is not difficult to find a kind person with a sign at the railway station offering the daily apartments in Kyiv, but there is no guarantee that you will get the promised convenience? Subtenants often place the advertisements in periodicals while "selling" the same apartment to several families and then disappear in the unknown direction. Even if you manage to make arrangement and you won`t be deceived, many aspects will not meet your requirements :          - proximity of subway and bus stops;          - social infrastructure;          - convenience stores or clubs. Therefore, the realtors provide services. The standard contract prices: for one-time help or for a constant, complex help. Depending on the conditions of the contract you pay the certain price or the percentage of the deal and you get the list of excellent variants which meet all your requirements. If some aspects do not meet your requirements, the realtor will inform you. In addition, a good realtor on his own examines the apartment, learns its history, looks at the neighbors, renovation, possible problems and additional advantages. A good real estate agency will release you from unforeseen situations and force majeures at the stage of the apartment selection. There is no need to communicate with the owners or tenants, so it will prevent you from being nervous and waste of time. The long-term relationship with the real estate agency allows to count on more beneficial conditions: less risk - more reasonable prices. The tenants need to understand that the agency works with the reliable partners, makes sure about their reliability and signs the agreements, therefore you will for sure move in. However, if you let the apartment for rent, you share the risks with the realtor and you can expect the recompense in case of emergency. Nowadays the most important aspect in any process – are contracts. The legal arrangements of each step, assuring the safety of your savings, health and life.A well-arranged process of work will allow within one hour to choose an accommodation or a client, to transfer money and to move the client in. Both standard contracts or those which include your conditions for major reliability are good. In this case, the financial transactions are recorded, not a single cent will be missed. Finally, the main advantage of the real estate agencies is their specialization. The realtors explore the real estate market systematically, adding to their data base their potential customers, but unlike the featureless advertisements, they can thoroughly inform you about all the pros and cons of the variant you chose. You’re only thinking about moving or visiting a strange city where you do not know anybody, and they already have the list of the variants at affordable prices. In case you want to buy a house or you’re interested in a daily rent of apartment - then the realtor has a queue of clients willing to sell or to let their accommodation for rent. Though the service of the specialist will cost some money, your request will be carried out as soon as possible, in compliance with all the details and legal formalities. The most important that it will be carried out! Moreover, the obligations are recorded in the documents, ensuring the roof over your head and the safety of the property, otherwise - the recompense is guaranteed.

New life - new house?

 How do young people start? Obviously they start from searching for an accommodation. They need a comfortable corner where they can rest, think and put themselves in order. However how to choose and not to be mistaken? The number of new-built houses is increasing daily, they sparkle with glazing and lure with sales promotion, but a secondary housing has a more attractive price. It is necessary to appraise the situation carefully.  A private accommodation is always better, but everybody has a different amount of money and attitude to loans. When renting the apartments daily in Kyiv the tourists are guided by the basic economic principles and make their requests meet their financial abilities, the same approach is needed when purchasing an accommodation. Remember that with time housing gets old and it needs the renovation, therefore a mortgage on the secondary fund is a doubtful investment. Besides sometimes a rent combined with saving money on the deposit can considerably be more advantageous than the housing loans.  Is the required amount of money for purchase or rent collected? Bring to notice that the secondary accommodation is often offered in downtown of Kyiv. Not frequently you can see there the new-built houses, but if there are some they are immediately considered to be luxury, and are very expensive. However there is a certain advantage - the proximity of infrastructure unities. In other words, the cultural life, the best places of entertainment, social institutions and key stops are located just around the corner.  The active building is usually conducted in the outskirts. A new life, a fresh decoration, a beautiful view from the window and silence is a blessing for the residents of the new-built houses. However, you won`t find there hospitals, schools, the majority of public transport or they will exist only on paper. Therefore please take a look at the housing schemes carefully, they should be of a free access. Do not worry, today the developers examine the needs of people and try to let the whole areas for rent where there is a minimum set for a young family, and city authorities help with the organization of additional transport routes.  The secondary housing is more likely surrounded with all kind of comforts of civilized life. However if you keep your eye on the big picture, the square meters of the new-built houses do not require such a frequent renovation and gradually will increase in price, accumulating same social structures, parks, bus stops. The main thing is to determine how important the above-mentioned comforts are for you at this time, and how soon they may become necessary (for example, schools and kindergartens in relation to the birth of a child).  However, from the very beginning some people do not plan to stay in the purchased flat for a long time. Travelers and businessmen rarely stick to one place, the permanent accommodation for them is rather a load and tax burden. And there is a separate category: relatives and visitors from abroad, tourists. Not all lessors will be willing to conclude an agreement for a period shorter than one month, and the hotels will cost a fabulous price.  Their choice is a short-term rent. To rent the apartments daily in the centre of Kyiv is a bit more expensive for one day in comparison with long-term contracts. However a person gets comfort, a high level of privacy and an easy access to all business and social networks, as well as remarkable sights. Certainly, in this case a secondary housing- is an advantage as there is no need to think about furniture, sanitary ware, breakages of utility systems. And all issues with the neighbors and law enforcement agencies have been settled long time before.  So in many aspects the secondary housing is superior to accommodation in new building, it is surrounded by important social institutions and it is cheaper, but it needs a good care. A new-built house is good in all aspects, however when choosing this option you need to show a bit of generosity or to be patient till your micro-district will be improved. As a result, any choice is correct, as it will ensure a roof over your and your family`s head.

How to choose a real estate and not to be mistaken?

Choosing a private accommodation is one of the most important questions for every person. Most people save money for its purchase or rent restricting themselves in many aspects. So it is very important to find that real estate what the person dreamed about. A purchase or rent of an apartment is not an insignificant and daily deal. It must be carried out carefully and with all responsibility. Firstly you need a clear plan of actions. Fairly estimate the amount of money on your disposal and determine the sum you can spend on the solution of housing question. Nowadays a wide and varied real estate market is offered in Kyiv. You can choose an expensive luxury accommodation in downtown or a cheap one on a secondary housing market. Also there are a lot of interesting offers in new-built houses in Kyiv. So how to make a right decision and to choose the most comfortable accommodation for living? Decide first what exactly you will search for: an accommodation in a new-building or one on the secondary housing market. The apartments offered by real estate developers are of great popularity. A lot of people choose this variant, being guided by the fact that everything new always serves longer. Comfortable and up-to-date layout, new communications are attractive advantages of apartments in the modern new-built houses. Choose the area where you would like to live. The price of the real estate depends on this important factor. If your goal is a daily rent of the apartment in the centre of Kyiv or on the Right bank of the Dnieper, it will be more expensive than the daily rent in any area of ​​the Left Bank. The market of real estate sale has the same pricing policy in Kyiv. Define clearly what size of the apartment you need and in what condition it should be. It also considerably influences its price. If you choose an apartment which needs renovation, calculate the approximate amount of money needed for its realization. Think well whether you can allocate these money later. So finally you have made a choice in favor of a certain accommodation and the following aspects meet your requirements: - price; - area; - building; - condition of the  accommodation; - total area; - layout; - floor. We recommend you to explore the infrastructure of the chosen residential area. In Kyiv it is quite important to have a good transport interchange in the area you choose for living. It should be located at least 50 meters from your accommodation, otherwise you will inhale a great amount of vehicle exhaust gas. The problem of megapolis is the lack of parking lots near the place of living. If you have a vehicle, do not hesitate, to have a look if there is a parking lot for your car in the evening close to the house. If you do not have the vehicle, come to the closest bus stop in a "rush hour" in the morning and see whether it is possible to take a bus. It is also important to understand how long it will take to get to work in time. If you have a child or you expect one it is also important to have nearby a nice kindergarten, school, supermarket and clinic. No doubt all these details will influence your comfortable and quiet living in a new apartment. Choosing an apartment is a difficult process, which requires your time and efforts. After having defined your goal and having planned everything, you will certainly get the desired result. If your time is limited or you are interested only in a daily rent of apartments, turn to a qualified real estate agency. Its developed data base and experts will significantly reduce your efforts and time which you would have spent on solving your housing problem. It is also related to a long-term rent of a real estate. June 10 2014

How can a young family get an apartment?

Probably solving of housing questions is one of the most important problems for young families in Ukraine. Not only harmony and mutual understanding in family relationships and even birth of children can depend on its results. Today it is quite difficult to become an owner of accommodation and in big cities it is also expensive. Therefore for the majority of capital citizens having a roof over their heads is a cherished dream which often does not come true. Newlyweds begin to think about purchasing of a real estate during the first year after marriage when renting an apartment for long term or daily in Kyiv, living in a hostel or dwelling with parents. First of all they pay attention to state programs of financial support in the moment of purchasing of an apartment. What do these programs mean and do they meet the newly married couples’ expectations? This government program provides the granting of loans at 3% interest for the duration up to 30 years. There is an age limit of family till 35 years, preference is given to those who succeeded in a particular sphere, such as young athletes, scientists, etc. Advantages: 1. Loan granting on a long-term basis (not all banks can offer such term). 2. A young family without children receives a loan at 3% interest per year, with one child - free loan, with 2 children - 25% discount of the housing cost, with 3 children- 50%. 3. The first contribution is 6% of the cost of apartment. Disadvantages: 1. Assessment of payment capacity of all family members passes on general basis, only few people with declared salary are appropriate on such conditions for bank. 2. In case of a payment delay the recompenses are ceased. 3. You must be registered with housing authorities. Such variant of state support provides the payment by the Youth Development Foundation of 30% of the apartment`s price, and 70% of the amount is paid by a young family. The application can be put in by the member of family who lives in the apartment where housing is no more than 7.5 sq.m per person. In this case it is possible to queue up for housing improvement. Advantages: 1. It is almost impossible to find a 30% discount for the purchase of property on the real estate market. 2. No age limit. Disadvantages: 1. A large apartment can not be expected if the total area of the purchased apartment exceeds the standard one (21 sq.m. per one person), therefore a family will pay the odds on their own cost and expense. 2. The necessity of being registered with housing authorities. The state program provides the recompense of vast majority of interest on the loan to the borrower (a young family).The interest on bank loan should not exceed 16%,13%  of which are paid by the state, and the remaining 3% are paid by the borrower. This variant of state support was created in 2012 and reminds the program «Long-term concessional lending». Advantages: 1. A housing credit is provided at 3% interest for 15 years. 2. No need to be registered with housing authorities. 3. No age limit.Disadvantages: 1. The down payment can be nearly 50 % of the apartment`s cost because of the big difference between the net and calculated price of the acсommodation. 2.  Payments more than 180 days late cause the amends cancellation. All above-mentioned variants suppose the purchase of apartments on the primary housing market, more frequently bearing-wall houses of low category houses (which are of little demand). Besides the public welfare homes are not built in the centre of Kyiv, but the remote areas such as Poznyaki, Shulyavka, Troeschina are offered. As a result a lot of families have doubts about interfering in financial credit peonage where the purchase of real estate is more expensive than the daily rent of apartments or anyhow it is better to save money and to buy the housing after their own heart. August 28, 2014