Novostroy-M. Buy apartments in Moscow and not regret it?
You can pay one third less for an apartment in Moscow today than for a new construction apartment. At the same time, the owner gets a full-fledged housing, often even in a developed and popular area. However, they face some inconveniences: it is impossible to register permanent residence in apartments, and the cost of maintaining them sometimes significantly exceeds the expenses for living in a regular apartment.
Petrovsky Apart House
Why is living in apartments expensive?
Even if you were able to buy inexpensive apartments, be prepared that monthly payments may not be low. The thing is that according to the Housing Code norms, apartments are not considered residential premises. According to the documents, they are non-residential premises, and for this category of real estate, utility rates will be set (and they are higher in Russia than rates for regular apartments). There is another nuance: expenses for management company (MC) services. Tariffs here are not controlled by the state, and the MC can set prices at its discretion.
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Unlike utility payments, operational expenses are not regulated by the state and largely depend on the brand and appetites of the management company. Ekaterina Rumyantseva, Kalinka Real Estate Consulting Group |
Electricity and water are the main items of utility expenses in apartment complexes. Tariffs for them, according to the head of the elite real estate department of Delta Estate, Olesya Mandzyak, are 22% higher than in ordinary residential buildings. Operational payment for territory cleaning, garbage removal, utilities maintenance, repairs, and other services are individual in each case. And even in the same segment, the difference between tariffs can be up to two and a half times. Moreover, experts claim that it is not as easy for apartment owners to change the management company as it is for owners of apartments in a "classic" new construction.
"Marshal"
How much does apartment management cost?
According to «NDV-Nedvizhimosti», specialists say that the management company, as well as the cost of its services, usually becomes known during the construction stage. On average, according to Olga Novikova, Director of Strategic and Investment Development, the tariff in Moscow is 60 rubles per square meter, but it may vary depending on the class and services of the company. According to «Metrium Group», the service in the comfort class costs property owners two and a half times cheaper than in the luxury segment. And the gap between the maximum and minimum tariff rates for MC services in Moscow is six and a half times.
The cost of MC services in Moscow apartment complexes
|
Name |
Class |
Cost of MC services (rubles per square meter per month) |
Minimum cost per square meter (thousand rubles) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Business |
50 |
180.9 |
|||
|
Business |
53 |
183.1 |
|||
|
Comfort |
55 |
117 |
|||
|
Comfort |
55 |
110 |
|||
|
Business |
67 |
171.2 |
|||
|
Business |
70 |
119 |
|||
|
Business |
71 |
145.4
It is becoming increasingly popular to buy apartments in the premium and business segments of the Moscow real estate market. However, there are certain factors to consider when purchasing an apartment that differ from buying a regular apartment or flat. The main difference is that apartments are classified as non-residential properties, which means they cannot be used as official residence and come with certain limitations. One of these limitations is that apartments cannot be registered as a permanent address, which affects issues such as registering children in schools or obtaining medical services. Furthermore, apartment owners do not have the right to use the communal property of the residential complex, such as playgrounds or sports facilities. However, apartment owners can use commercial and leisure facilities within the complex, such as shops, restaurants, and fitness centers. The maintenance costs of apartments are usually higher than those of regular apartments, as they include not only the maintenance of the living space but also the maintenance and management of the entire complex. Utility costs are also higher, as apartments have larger areas and include extra facilities. Additionally, apartment owners are required to pay a monthly fee for the maintenance and management of common areas and facilities. In the premium segment, well-known Russian and international management companies are becoming operators of apartment complexes. The owners of such apartments can expect a range of high-quality services, including cleaning, breakfast, lunch, and dinner delivery, taxi booking, and flight booking. In the absence of the owner, if desired, the management company can rent out the apartment and transfer the rental payments to the designated account. The most expensive apartments in terms of maintenance costs are located in Moscow City, in the Capital City Towers, OKO, and Federation Towers. In the comfort-class segment, the maintenance of apartments can cost up to 90,000 rubles per square meter. The most affordable options are apartments in multifunctional complexes like Marshal, Fili Grad, and Vodny (in the latter two, the MR Group offers the opportunity to choose a management company). It is worth noting that, according to Evelina Ishmetova, Vice President of Consulting at GVA Sawyer, in the Vodny multifunctional complex, sales are conducted under Federal Law No. 214, although in general, so-called gray schemes (promissory note, preliminary or agency agreement) are often used in the sale of apartments in Moscow. Another issue that buyers of apartments face is the lack of their own infrastructure. As apartments are considered non-residential premises, developers are not required to provide schools, kindergartens, or clinics. Therefore, the owners of such properties can only rely on nearby facilities. For example, buyers of apartments in Moscow City are not bound to the local infrastructure. These are either wealthy businessmen who own similar properties in different cities around the world and use them solely for business purposes, or investors who invest in apartments for five, 10, or 15 years. For such individuals, the issue of registration and the presence of socially significant objects are not essential. However, apartments are not always cheaper than regular flats. To solve the problem of registration, buyers can obtain temporary registration for up to five years, which can later be extended. This allows them to register their children in kindergartens or schools. The Moscow Architecture Committee is currently developing regulations for the construction of social infrastructure in apartment complexes. This solution is correct and will increase the attractiveness of apartments. However, it will also lead to higher prices, as developers will need to recoup their investments. Read also Иммиграционные программыЭкосистема Kalinka запустила новое направление – иммиграционные программы.
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