Non-residential increase: apartments have become more expensive than apartments

Apartments are increasing in price faster than apartments, despite the fact that their legal status is still uncertain. Experts attribute this to a shortage of supply, a ban on launching new projects and a change in the market structure. The growing interest in such real estate was also supported by the decision of the Constitutional Court, which fixed the possibility of temporary registration in apartments. Why this format continues to rise in price and what risks remain for buyers — in the Izvestia article.

Why have apartments gone up in price

The cost of apartments in new buildings in "old" Moscow increased by 21% over the year, apartments — by 24%, market participants told Izvestia. According to the Osnova Group of Companies, now a square meter in an apartment costs an average of 799.5 thousand rubles, whereas a year ago it was 642.5 thousand rubles.

— In almost all market segments, except for the premium, apartments are still cheaper than apartments, — said Igor Sibrenkov, the company's commercial director. — But they get more expensive faster. This is due to a shortage of supply after restrictions on the construction of new apartment complexes in Moscow, as well as the fact that more ready-made facilities are appearing.

Prices rose the most in the primary premium apartment market, by 33% at once. For comparison, the cost per square meter in new luxury apartments in Moscow increased by 21% over the same period, to 877.6 thousand rubles.

This trend was confirmed by Dmitry Proskurin, Commercial Director of Metrium.

— This is largely due to the fact that the structure of the offer has changed significantly, — he explained.

Price of popularity: the cost of the "square" studios exceeded the average market price by 23%

Small-sized apartments in the mass segment have become more expensive by a third in a year.

The price increase is explained by several factors at once: there are fewer new projects, the cost of construction is growing, and buyers are increasingly choosing ready-made housing in good locations rather than apartments at an early stage of construction, added Yulia Ruzhitskaya, commercial director of the development company Unikey.

"The high cost of premium projects and the growing demand for turnkey lots have an additional impact," she said.

The number of apartments in the old borders of Moscow has almost halved in a year, and in the mass segment — by three to four times, said Rigina Gordeeva, founder of the Bezfilter real estate agency.

— At the excavation stage, such facilities were much cheaper. Therefore, over the past year, the square meter in apartments has really risen in price by 22-24%, while apartments have increased by about 18-20%," she stressed.

According to the aggregator of new buildings RedCat, the supply of apartments decreased by 7% over the year, while the number of apartments on sale decreased by 28% at once.

— The affordable segment has sunk the most. Over the year, the volume of comfort class supply decreased by 52%, in more expensive categories - by 20-27%, — said Natalia Shatalina, CEO of the aggregator of new buildings. — The shortage of new projects and the rapid leaching of the most liquid lots naturally led to an increase in prices.

What is the disadvantage of apartments

In Russia, apartments are still a niche product, although in tourist regions they are increasingly viewed as an investment, said Anastasia Morozova, head of market research at the Aeroplane Group.

"With the normalization of mortgage rates on the market, the demand for apartments will grow in all segments, and since supply is now at a multi—year low, this will spur price growth," she added.

Legally, apartments are non—residential premises, Ekaterina Kosareva, managing partner of the analytical agency VMT Consult, reminded. Because of this, their owners face restrictions that apartment owners do not have.

— For example, difficulties with registration, especially of children, registration of inheritance or connection of utilities. These are not formalities, but real problems that arise regularly," she said.

In addition, many apartment complexes were built without the necessary social infrastructure - schools, clinics, kindergartens and a sufficient number of parking lots, the expert added. Formally, they belonged to a non-residential fund, so the requirements for them were milder.

At the same time, the decision of the Constitutional Court, adopted in February 2026, significantly strengthened the position of apartment owners by allowing temporary registration in them, Dmitry Proskurin recalled.

— However, in practice, the MFC often refuses to register the owners of such facilities, — said the expert. — That is, the procedure has not yet been properly adjusted, despite the fact that most apartment complexes in the capital comply with all the standards typical for apartment projects. Therefore, a sharp rise in prices in connection with the decision of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation has not yet occurred.

According to the expert, in the future, the price gap between apartments and apartments will decrease, as this format is gradually becoming scarce after the moratorium on the construction of new projects introduced in Moscow.

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Why is the status of the apartments still undetermined?

The federal law, which was supposed to determine the legal status of the apartments, was rejected by the State Duma in January 2025, Anastasia Morozova recalled.

The document introduced the concept of "multifunctional buildings" and extended part of the housing regulations to apartments. As a result, uniform rules have not appeared, and the market continues to live according to regional restrictions and judicial practice.

The trouble with the apartment bill, which was rejected again, is the large number of disagreements between the authorities and developers, said Alexander Ivanov, a leading analyst at the federal company Floors.

— The apartments were built on plots not intended for housing, without the necessary social infrastructure. In addition, some of the facilities simply do not meet the requirements for residential premises," the expert explained.

There is also a question of justice, Alexander Ivanov added. Apartment buyers initially paid for the creation of the necessary infrastructure through the cost of a square, while apartment owners did not bear such a burden.

"The authorities are not ready to take on the costs of creating such an infrastructure," the expert pointed out. — In addition, in many places where apartments are located, there are simply no vacant plots for the construction of schools, kindergartens and other facilities. At the same time, resort towns, on the contrary, are interested in developing this format of real estate and legalizing it, as the number of such projects is actively growing there.

According to Evelina Ishmetova, founder and head of the Developer's School, apartments are gradually moving away from the "pseudo—housing" category and turning into an investment product with professional management, a more understandable profitability model and advantages over self-renting real estate.

The bulk of the supply is moving to resort locations — St. Petersburg, Crimea, Krasnodar Territory and other regions. Additional investor interest is supported by a reduction in preferential mortgages for apartments and tougher "Family" conditions: apartments are still 15-25% cheaper than regular housing.