Apartment chance: the government has allocated 10 billion rubles for housing certificates

In 2026, the federal budget provides financing in the amount of more than 10 billion rubles for the implementation of the housing certificates program for the population. The relevant decision was signed by the head of government Mikhail Mishustin. Issuing certificates allows citizens to either change their place of residence and move to settlements with a developed social environment, or improve their living conditions by purchasing more comfortable housing in the cities where they already live. Izvestia investigated what role the program can play in redistributing the population between regions, and what other support measures are needed to improve the living conditions of Russians.

Standard of living

The problem of housing affordability remains significant for people of different ages — from young families to representatives of the older generation, Petr Shcherbachenko, associate professor of Corporate Finance and Corporate Governance at the Faculty of Economics and Business of the Financial University, noted in an interview with Izvestia.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Konstantin Kokoshkin

— The mechanism of state housing certificates is focused on supporting specific social groups and is able to increase the level of housing provision for those who need special attention from the state. Such recipients include Chernobyl victims, people who were forced to change their place of residence, residents of Baikonur, the Far North and closed territorial formations, as well as military personnel and employees of law enforcement and rescue agencies," he said.

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The use of certificates opens up the opportunity either to purchase more comfortable housing in a familiar city, or to move to settlements with developed social and communal infrastructure. This tool is not of a mass nature and does not involve large-scale population movement across the country, since it is initially designed for a limited number of recipients.

"The program takes into account significant differences in the value of real estate between regions and the heterogeneity of incomes of different social groups," the expert added. — Its implementation is designed to improve the standard of living of the participants and their families, as well as to promote the consolidation of qualified specialists in regions of strategic importance to the state.

The average level of housing provision in Russia today is around 30 square meters. m per inhabitant, which is noticeably lower than the indicators of even the least developed countries of Eastern Europe. Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin drew attention to this earlier, stressing that despite record construction volumes, the gap with other countries remains significant.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korotaev

For comparison, in a number of European countries this figure exceeds 35 square meters, in countries with a long-established construction market it reaches 45-50 square meters, in China it is more than 40 square meters, and in the USA it exceeds 60 square meters. m per person. The situation in small and medium-sized cities remains an additional challenge. In recent years, not a single apartment building has been commissioned in hundreds of localities.

At the same time, an analysis of the mortgage market shows that Russians are increasingly using loans not for the first purchase, but to improve their living conditions by switching to more spacious housing. This process is directly related to the demographic situation, as the lack of suitable housing conditions hinders the creation and expansion of families. The government also noted the high stability of the mortgage system. The share of problem loans remains minimal and does not exceed 1%, which makes mortgages one of the most stable financial instruments in the country.

Add-on programs

In general, this program expands opportunities for changing places of residence in favor of more comfortable conditions, Maxim Chirkov, Associate professor of the Department of Economic Policy and Economic Measurements at the State University of Economics, told Izvestia. We are talking primarily about people who previously worked or continue to work in areas with a harsh climate and an unfavorable natural environment.

Photo: TASS/Alexander Manziuk

— There is a real chance for them to move to a place where the comfort level is objectively higher, — he noted. — At the same time, the support mechanism can influence the improvement of living standards in those territories where, due to climatic and other factors, living conditions are traditionally more difficult.

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As a result, there may be a certain redistribution of the population between the regions of the country, which will be accompanied by an increase in the quality of life both for the citizens themselves and for the territories of their new residence, the expert believes. At the same time, the program complements existing housing support tools in Russia, including preferential mortgage solutions and other financial measures.

— Additionally, we can consider the possibility of assistance with relocation in cases where a change of region is really necessary, — said Maxim Chirkov. — In general, it can be noted that the country has formed a fairly effective support system for people who participated in labor activities, regularly fulfilled tax obligations and need to improve their living conditions.

Public policy in the housing sector is based on a wide range of tools aimed at increasing housing affordability. Special mortgage programs with reduced interest rates, as well as financial support measures for families with children and citizens experiencing housing difficulties, occupy a key place.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Sergey Lantyukhov

In particular, a mortgage with a rate of up to 6% is provided for families with children, programs with a minimum rate of up to 2% are available for residents of the Far East and the Arctic, and a specialized mortgage offer is available for employees of accredited IT companies. In rural areas, loans for the purchase or construction of housing are available at 0.1–3%.

In addition to mortgage solutions, direct forms of financial support are used. Large families can receive payments to reduce the mortgage burden, and subsidies are provided to young spouses. State housing certificates are provided for privileged categories of citizens, as well as social employment options. Additionally, there are measures to compensate for rent and significant subsidies for housing in rural areas, where assistance can reach up to 70% of its cost under territorial development programs.

Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Construction, but no response had been received at the time of publication.