How much does it cost to rent a house for the summer in the Moscow Region?

The country rental market is currently going through tough times. However, even in this slowing segment, there are certain drivers, and one of them is summer rentals.

Resilience

By the beginning of summer, the Moscow region rental market offers around 10,000 houses and cottages for long-term and seasonal rent, according to CIAN. "Among them, there are 3,500 properties in the economy class (rent below 120,000 rubles) and over 6,700 properties in the business and premium segments (rent above 120,000 rubles per month)," note analysts.

According to "Inkom-Nedvizhimost," the largest supply of rental country houses is found in the Belorusskoe direction - 20%. Novaya Riga takes second place with 18%. The third place is shared by Kievoe and Leningradskoe directions, each accounting for 11% of all country rental objects.

"When it comes to summer rental offers in cottage settlements with utilities, functioning infrastructure, and secured territories, there are very few such options. According to our calculations, there are currently no more than 20 cottage settlements on the market that offer rental housing services," adds Maxim Sukhoparov, Business Director of Optiland.

Due to the small number of seasonal houses, tenants are quickly found. According to experts at Miel-Arenda, the demand for houses with a monthly rent ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 rubles exceeds the supply by 3.67 times, and for houses with a rent below 50,000 rubles, the demand exceeds the supply by 2.33 times. In the price range of 100,000 to 200,000 rubles, the demand exceeds the supply by 1.89 times. Only in the price category of 300,000 rubles per month and above, the supply exceeds the demand. Tweed agency associates this "stocking" with new turnkey houses entering the rental market.

"The owners of such properties did not want to sell at current prices and preferred to get through difficult times by renting them out. While in the past, tenants in the luxury segment preferred long-term contracts, they have become more willing to rent out their properties for the season," note experts.

Summer pricing

According to Maria Zhukova, Director of Miel-Arenda, the prices for summer rentals in the Moscow region have remained almost unchanged compared to last year and are slightly higher than the cost of long-term rentals. Among the most cost-effective options mentioned by the company is a duplex for 45,000 rubles located 15 km from the Moscow Ring Road on the Ryazan highway. The 140 sq.m house has five rooms, furniture, appliances, a home theater, sauna, ping pong table, billiards, a heated pool with water filtration system, and landscaped garden.

More affordable options were mentioned by Inkom-Nedvizhimost. According to experts, a small summer house with amenities on a plot in a garden cooperative can be rented for 10,000-12,000 rubles per month.

The most expensive property in the Moscow region is a house priced at 5.6 million rubles per month in one of the secured cottage communities on the Rublevo-Uspenskoye highway, according to Kalinka Group. The exterior and interior of the four-story mansion are designed using ultra-modern technologies. The living area of the residence is 1,800 sq.m, and the plot area is 4,800 sq.m. The mansion features a movie theater, billiard room, music hall with a grand piano, and an SPA complex with a hair salon and massage room.

"The majority of landlords in the high-end segment are reluctant to lower their rates, influenced by memories of the costs of acquiring or building a house in a growing market and other exchange rates. The average advertised prices here hardly change, although in most cases a 10-20% discount is required to make real deals," commented Alexey Popov, head of the analytical center at CIAN.

Waiting for change

Among the new types of tenants, renters who lease country homes during the construction of their own houses are drawing attention.

"Very often the choice of a cottage is related to the fact that the rent is needed for the period when a house is being built in the same settlement. Such tenants want to 'look inside' the real estate before buying to make sure they have made the right choice," said Olga Bakhmeteva, director of the country real estate department at Tweed.

An alternative rental trend is gaining momentum in the economy class, where citizens rent out their Moscow apartments for the summer and move into a rented dacha themselves. As experts at Inkom-Nedvizhimost told us, this trend is currently increasing - such renters now make up 12% of the total composition of 'summer' tenants of country properties compared to 8% last year.

"For owners of metropolitan apartments who have the ability to work remotely, for those with young children and no grandparents in the countryside, the option of 'double rental' is a good opportunity for a budget vacation," noted Oksana Polyakova, deputy director of the apartment rental department at the company.

In the luxury segment, economic difficulties also increase the number of country living enthusiasts. As Penny Lane Realty told us, the main driver of the growing popularity of summer rentals in the Moscow region is the reluctance of the heads of families to send relatives on a traditional vacation in Europe in the current economic situation.

"Against the backdrop of the high cost and underdevelopment of Russian resorts, the high euro exchange rate, and most importantly, the unstable political situation, this alternative seems optimal for many affluent citizens of the Russian Federation," emphasized the experts.

However, regardless of the segment, tenants have the same preferences. As before, city dwellers look for a nice house near Moscow for the summer, with all conveniences, a sauna, a barbecue area, a nearby forest, and a body of water," the experts said.