Commentary to Decree No. 535 of 17 November 2014

    On 17 November President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko signed Decree No. 535 concerning the implementation of Decree No. 563 “On certain issues of legal regulation of housing relations”.

    Decree No. 563 specifies categories of people who have the priority right to get rented housing from the state-owned and municipal housing stock for the period of labor (service) relations. These include judges, workers of prosecution bodies, civil servants in accordance with the list of posts determined by the President of the Republic of Belarus.

    Decree No. 535 approves this list.

    In line with the document, categories of civil servants included in the list will get rented housing only for the period of labor (service) relations.

    Apart from that, Decree No. 535 specifies the limit of funds spent on the construction (renovation) of housing provided to this category of civil servants. The cost of 1 square meter of rented housing cannot exceed Br8.5 million in prices as of 1 January 2014. The document envisages further revision of the cost of construction and installation works within the normative construction period.

    The Decree also specifies the procedure of calculating the size of payments for rented housing provided to civil servants. These payments will be calculated in accordance with Decree No. 563 (with the coefficient deepening on the location of housing and amenities) and with the decreasing coefficients which will be determined by the Belarus President Property Management Directorate for the state-owned housing stock or by local executive committees and the Minsk City Council for the municipal housing stock by agreement with the government.

    Decree No. 535 finalizes the formation of the legal framework at the level of presidential decrees aimed at the regulation of the provision and use of rented housing. The document will help improve the Housing Code which is a comprehensive legal act in the sphere of housing relations.

    The Decree removes legal mechanisms of the alienation of housing operated by state bodies and organizations to the workers in need of housing conditions improvement. It is done because such housing shall be included in the rented housing stock.

    By agreement with the State Property Committee state bodies can make decisions on the gratuitous acquisition of housing from the municipal or private housing stock by the Republic of Belarus.

    Adult family members of late tenants of employer-rented housing cannot get preferential loans for the construction (renovation) or purchase of housing because these categories of citizens conclude rented housing lease agreements on the terms envisaged by Decree No. 563.

    The document shall enter into force after its official publication.