The Architecture and Construction Ministry is interested in getting private companies involved in the construction of rented houses.
Aleksandr Avramenko, Head of the Housing Policy Department of the Belarusian Architecture and Construction Ministry, made the statement on the air of the TV channel STV on 14 June, BelTA has learned.
There are plans to build 135,000m2 of rented housing in Belarus this year while the total amount of housing to be commissioned in 2020 is supposed to be 4 million m2. “As an ordinary citizen I believe it is surely not much. As a professional I should say that several factors are at play. I am talking about demand and budgeting because such homes are primarily built at the expense of state budget money and at the expense of enterprises. It is possible to build them using other legal sources of funding, I mean money of private companies,” the official said.
In his words, the Architecture and Construction Ministry is working on improving the legal base in order to encourage private companies to contribute to rented housing construction. “It is too early to talk about what the conditions will be. They may focus on the allocation of land plots or the creation of infrastructure. We may also have to add something to the Tax Code or revise taxes. Some work on the matter has yet to be done. We may amend the existing legislation or issue a dedicated regulatory act. We are working on it,” Aleksandr Avramenko said.
According to the source, rented housing represents roughly 3.5% of all the housing in the country. “We are doing everything to make the figure larger. The amount of rented housing increases as new houses are built,” the official said. Rented housing is used by those on the housing register and those, whose employers are supposed to provide housing. The Council of Ministers has issued a resolution to prioritize the allocation of rented housing for medics, teachers, cultural workers, and those, who provide palliative care for the sick.
Asked whether plans on building rented housing in 2020 will be reviewed, Aleksandr Avramenko noted it would be quite difficult to accomplish. “We are talking about state budget finance. It is very difficult to revise these plans. We would have to come up with money for it. If the state identifies additional sources of funding from the state budget, our industry will be ready to build more rented housing,” the official said.
Speaking about the privatization of rented housing in the future, the official noted the legislation does not allow it for now.
BelTA
