How will the social housing model work in Ukraine?

What will change with the adoption of the draft Law of Ukraine “On Social Housing”, who will be able to use such housing, and how will the state and communities manage it? We explain the future social housing system in detail.

Who will be responsible for what: the state, the region and the community?

The social housing system will clearly define who sets the rules, who is responsible for implementing them and who works directly with housing and the people entitled to it.

The state will determine the general rules for operating and developing the system, including:

▪️ the State Social Housing Development Programme;

▪️ determining how people will obtain social housing and

▪️ calculating how much they will pay in rent;

▪️ approving standard tenancy agreements;

▪️ setting general rules for providing rent subsidies;

▪️ maintaining the Unified Housing Information and Analytical System, containing information about social housing, people who need it and the operators that manage it.;

▪️ determining the rules for concluding and terminating public-private partnership agreements.

The region will be responsible for implementing state housing policy and state and local social housing development programmes.

The community has the greatest opportunities and powers: it will create and manage social housing. Most practical work with it will therefore take place at the local level.

The local council will be able to:

▪️ approve local social housing development programmes;

▪️ establish social housing operators;

▪️ decide how land plots will be used to build social housing;

▪️ resolve issues concerning the use of private housing under contractual arrangements;

▪️ enter into public-private partnership agreements.

The community’s executive bodies will work directly with housing and its residents. They will be able to:

▪️ build and repair municipal social housing;

▪️ manage, service and maintain housing;

▪️ set rent;

▪️ convert non-residential premises and buildings into social housing;

▪️ compile a list of people entitled to social housing;

▪️ determine which housing to include in the social housing stock;

▪️ maintain data on social housing, its residents and operators.

The draft law was developed with expert support from the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, the Council of Europe and the World Bank. The experience and proposals of international partners, communities and experts were also taken into account.

The next step is to submit the draft law to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration.

Creating a social housing system is one of Ukraine’s commitments under the Ukraine Facility and a significant part of the housing reform taking place during recovery and European integration.