Repair concerns: almost every new building is rented with defects
The share of housing with defects increased to 93% in 2025, analysts told Izvestia. This is due to the introduction of a moratorium in 2024, which prohibited the collection of fines, penalties and compensation from developers, for example, for substandard apartments or other violations of the terms of equity participation agreements. In 2026, the moratorium was lifted, but a delay in the payment of fines was introduced. This situation will lead to the loss of buyers' money and the risk of bankruptcy of developers, experts say. How to deal with this and what developers save on is in the Izvestia article.
What is the reason for the growing volume of defective housing
The share of new buildings that were commissioned with defects increased to 93% in 2025, according to a study by the Analytica center. Business. Law", which was reviewed by Izvestia. In 2022, it was 90%, in 2023 it increased to 95%, then in 2024 it returned to 90%, and in 2025 it grew again.
"In the forecast for 2026-2028, this level is fixed at 95%, followed by a moderate correction to 94% in 2029-2030," the authors note. "This shows the lack of sustained improvement in the quality of rental housing and the high probability that defects are widespread and repetitive rather than exceptional."
This situation is associated with a long-term moratorium on the collection of fines and penalties from developers for such violations. It was introduced several times: from April 3 to December 31, 2020, from March 29, 2022 to June 30, 2023, and from March 22, 2024 to December 31, 2025.
It was impossible to collect penalties or fines for delays during these periods, and the ban extended even to obligations that arose before the moratorium, if the deadline for their fulfillment falls on the period of its validity. For example, if, under an equity agreement dated January 2022, the developer was supposed to hand over the house in May 2023, but missed the deadline, then it was prohibited to demand a penalty.
Starting from January 1, 2026, the moratorium for developers on charging penalties, losses, interest, and fines has been lifted. However, the delay in execution, that is, the actual receipt of money, for all submitted claims was extended until December 31 inclusive. The resolution retains an important exception.: A number of shareholders can claim compensation for construction defects now, without waiting for 2027.
— If the owner of the apartment has made an expert examination and the court has decided to pay compensation for it, then the money can be collected no earlier than 2027, when the deferral of payments ends, — said Natalia Kharitonchik, director of the repair department of the federal company "Floors". — Another situation is if the owner eliminated the deficiencies himself or with the involvement of a contractor and proved the costs incurred in court, the deferral does not apply to such cases.
However, according to her, most prefer the first option, because it's easier to sue for the calculated amount.
"The moratorium and postponement create a demotivating environment for developers: the easing of judicial pressure reduces the incentives to promptly eliminate deficiencies before delivery, transferring problems to the operational stage and individual complaints from shareholders," the authors of the study noted.
Also, according to their data, the consolidation of high indicators in the forecast signals the risk that the transfer of housing with defects will become the market norm, this will increase family costs and undermine confidence in the primary market. As a result, maintaining the deferral will lead to direct losses of buyers for 2026-2030 in the amount of 122.3 billion rubles, if we take the prices of 2025.
"The main contribution to the losses is made by forced leases of 94.3 billion rubles, which accounts for 77% of the effect, an increase in the cost of repairs by 20.7 billion rubles, or 17%, as well as the cost of postponing payments and their depreciation over time by 7.3 billion rubles, or 6%," the authors emphasized.
What are the shortcomings?
Today it is difficult to find an apartment without defects at all, the director of the portal Vseustroike confirmed.Russian Federation Svetlana Opryshko.
— Moreover, we are talking not only about affordable projects, but also about high—end residential complexes, where there are also curved walls and floors, poor ventilation, and problems with door structures, - the expert noted. — The moratorium created the illusion of permissiveness among some developers, which led to a decrease in quality control at the final stage.
They usually save on common areas, less often on facades, since this is the "face" of the object, said Arseniy Drozhalin, general director of the Digniori Arts construction company.
"And it's better not to look at evacuation ladders and technical rooms, where customers are not usually taken," the expert said. — There are also problems in apartments: crooked walls, problems with engineering, scratched windows, plumbing with defects. All this is almost everywhere. And this is a big problem for the buyer. He should remember that compromises are often hidden behind a beautiful facade and you need to be very careful when accepting an apartment.
This situation is particularly noticeable in the mass segment — comfort and standard class, added Valery Tumin, Director of Markets in Russia and the CIS at fam Properties.
"The situation is somewhat better in Moscow due to stricter control and high publicity of projects," he explained. — But even here, comfort-class buyers are more likely to encounter comments during acceptance than those who take business or premium.
At the same time, the real critical problems with load—bearing structures, freezing walls, and engineering systems are no more than 5-7%, added Sergey Shashurin, director of the Rasvetay group of companies.
— And it is their developers who close them under a guarantee without talking, — the expert emphasized. — When the buyer finds an unevenness of plaster in a couple of millimeters, a scratch on the window sill or a crack in the baseboard, this is a defect. There have always been such flaws in the mass segment, it's just that they used to turn a blind eye to them, but now, in the wake of consumer literacy and legal accessibility, every detail is being fixed.
Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Construction.
Why is it so poorly built
One of the reasons for the current situation, in addition to the moratorium, is a chronic shortage of workers and a drop in labor productivity, Svetlana Opryshko believes.
"The construction site has been operating at the limit of human resources in recent years, and the lack of qualified personnel directly affects quality," she said.
The economic situation has also affected. High interest rates increase the financial burden on companies: the longer the project lasts, the more interest accumulates, which reduces profitability. Early commissioning of the facility allows you to repay the loan faster or reduce its cost by reducing the period of use of funds. This acceleration also affects the quality, but the developers eliminate the shortcomings within the framework of warranty obligations.
In addition, the cost of construction has increased by 30-40% over the past two years, and everything has become more expensive: metal, cement, logistics, and salaries, Sergei Shusharin added.
— But the market does not allow selling apartments at a price that would cover these costs, mortgages are expensive, demand is falling, — the expert believes. — The only way to maintain marginality and not go into negative territory is to optimize the cost of construction. Yes, developers save on the cost of materials and shorten deadlines, but this is not greed, it is a matter of business survival.
Also, according to him, before the moratorium, the market was overwhelmed by a wave of consumer extremism.
"People professionally bought apartments with minor defects, went to court, and developers received fines that were many times higher than the cost of the defects themselves," the expert said. — It was a business on the nerves of developers, and the new amendments with a 3% penalty limit are not an attempt to evade responsibility, but protection from this lawlessness.
The share of housing with defects has really increased against the background of the growing popularity of professional apartment acceptance services, Natalia Kharitonchik added.
"It is extremely difficult for an ordinary buyer to identify some of the defects," she explained. — Now many people prefer to call experts for acceptance, so as not to encounter "surprises" and an increase in the cost of repairs in the future. Also, for shareholders, this is a guarantee that defects will either be eliminated by the developer voluntarily under warranty, or the costs incurred by the owner will be recovered through the court.
How to solve the problem with defects
Now the main risk for developers is the accumulated debt burden, in a year companies may face an avalanche of multimillion—dollar claims at the same time, said Sergey Shusharin.
—And not everyone will be ready for it," he pointed out. — The second point is reputation. The buyer does not delve into the intricacies of legislation, for him the moratorium is equal to a simple formula: the developer has evaded responsibility. It's only a matter of time before sales drop in new queues.
The total amount of penalties unpaid by developers to shareholders since 2023 has exceeded 100 billion rubles, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin noted in November 2025.
Reducing the risks "here and now" can lead to a mass of deferred claims, an increase in claim activity and the amount of claims in the near future, says the director of the center "Analytics. Business. Pravo" by Venera Shaidullina.
"If the responsibility of developers remains weakened, and the timing and quality do not improve, then the distrust of buyers, legal conflicts, the costs of citizens and the financial burden on some companies are growing," the analysts emphasized.
With expensive financing and weak demand, this increases the likelihood of project shutdowns, restructurings, and developer bankruptcies.
The extension of the moratorium and the postponement of payments by developers to equity holders is not a solution, but only a pause, "the problems have not disappeared," agreed Susana Kirakosyan, chairman of the CCI Subcommittee on business development in the field of residential real estate management. She stressed that alternative dispute resolution mechanisms are particularly important in these circumstances.
— They do not cancel the shareholder's right to judicial protection, but they make it possible to resolve disputes faster, more flexibly and with lower costs, — she noted. — These are mediation procedures, collective bargaining, and a full-fledged claim procedure, when the issue can be closed before filing a claim.
The introduction of the institution of a real estate ombudsman looks particularly promising, the expert believes. Such an intermediary can become a link between shareholders, developers, banks and authorities. His task is not to control, but to help find constructive solutions in typical conflicts.
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