On improving the procedure for moving into rental housing

On 3 November, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko signed Decree No. 388 “On improving the procedure for moving into rental housing”.

The Decree aims to drastically reduce the waiting time to occupy newly constructed state-owned rental apartments, slashing it to just 30 working days from the date the building is approved for occupancy. Currently, this process can take up to 200 days.

To achieve this, the Decree shortens the duration of key administrative procedures. 

Specifically, the technical inventory of a residential building will now begin no later than 45 calendar days before its commissioning, rather than after approval.

Furthermore, timeframes for applying for rental housing, preparing technical passports, and registering property are being reduced to a range of one to five days; previously, each of these steps could take a month or more.

The Decree will come into effect on 1 January 2026. By this date, local councils of deputies are instructed to make decisions on occupancy of municipally owned rental apartments within the same 30-day window.