News & Events in Belarus

Why Lukashenko urges to buy vacant houses in the countryside

June 2020. The coronavirus pandemic is in full swing. Doctors never tire of repeating: keep your distance, wear masks, and, better yet, avoid crowded places. It is difficult to be “away” from people in the city, isn't it? Those who have such opportunity go to the countryside and work remotely. At that time Aleksandr Lukashenko instructed to simplify the terms for purchasing plots of land outside big cities. The main principle: pay the money, get a land deed. In this episode of BelTA’s YouTube project “After the Fact: Lukashenko’s Decisions” we will tell you how to buy real estate for as little as Br40. What region has the most abandoned houses? How to become the owner of “golden” land near Minsk?

How has the pandemic influence the interest of Belarusians in suburban real estate

The pandemic has increased the interest of Belarusians in countryside real estate. Prices for renting dachas and estates have risen. Even those who could not imagine their life outside the city started thinking about buying a house in the countryside. But not everyone can afford a nice house with a well-maintained plot. At a meeting with activists of Minsk Oblast, Aleksandr Lukashenko vowed to revitalize backwater towns and villages and urged to hurry up to buy land there.

“I want us to make a list of underused land plots in the next five years in the areas recognized as unpromising. We should give them to people. I want every Belarusian to have a piece of land. So that they stay healthy. This piece of land will be worth its weight in gold,” the head of state said at a meeting with activists of Minsk Oblast in June 2020.

Many questions remained open: how to alienate these houses and then sell them? What algorithm should local authorities follow? And most importantly: how much should abandoned houses cost?

“We have a lot of good hamlets, small villages. In these villages there are many abandoned houses. We need to give out to people these empty houses, abandoned plots, and there are thousands of hectares of them across the country. For pennies. A low price. Some will build dachas, some will leave them for children, or give to old family members. During the pandemic many took their elders to the villages. It was a blessing. We asked them to do it! We asked people to take their elders to the countryside in spring and summer. Thus we shielded the senior citizens from the pandemic,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said during his visit to the BelNPP in November 2020.

Where to get information about vacant houses

On 24 March 2021, Aleksandr Lukashenko signed Decree No. 116 “On the alienation of residential houses in rural communities and improvement of handling of abandoned houses”. It is now easier and faster to become the owner of countryside real estate.

“During the year, the entire vertical of power needs to sell these houses. Or to demolish them if nobody needs them. But we got a good process underway. Townspeople started to buy up such houses. Even in most remote villages. So your task is to demolish or sell these houses. But the main thing for you is to get these plots back into use,” the Belarusian leader instructed officials at a meeting to review the situation in agriculture in April 2021.

The information about abandoned houses flows into a single registry. It contains all kinds of information: the size of a building and a plot, the degree of wear and tear, the availability of amenities, photos. Now there are 19,500 houses on the register. Most of them in Minsk Oblast, Vitebsk Oblast and Mogilev Oblast. The least is in Grodno Oblast.

“Since the decree came into force, about 1,500 vacant houses have been sold, most of them in Minsk Oblast followed by Mogilev Oblast and Grodno Oblast. If we go into specifics, 374 houses were sold in Minsk Oblast, 365 houses in Mogilev Oblast, and about 300 houses in Vitebsk Oblast,” said Yevgeny Baturevich, consultant of the Land Regulations Department of the State Property Committee of the Republic of Belarus.

Which houses in Belarus are recognized as vacant

A vacant property is a property where a land plot is neglected and overgrown and a house is dilapidated or about to collapse. In addition, such a house has been abandoned for more than three years. The executive committee sends a notice to the owner. If the owner does nothing, the court may declare the house ownerless and allow local authorities to sell it. The sales price starts from one base amount, which is Br40 now. This is a little more than RUB1,000. Such a property can also be auctioned off.

“While setting the price for a property, executive committees mostly proceed from the value of the land plot on which such property stands. Indeed, empty, dilapidated houses require the same amount of investments no matter where they are located, be it in Minsk Oblast or in a remote region. Sought-out land plots are sold by executive committees through an auction,” Yevgeny Baturevich noted.

Why does the Belarusian village attract Russians

Not only Belarusians, but also foreigners can buy a vacant house at one base amount. Naturally, most of such buyers are Russians, like the Yegorov family who moved to Belarus from Leningrad Oblast.

“We wanted a house that would be within a 100 km range from Minsk, though we also considered houses located 126 km from the capital city. We had checked 6 houses before we bought this one. When we were discussing our options, this house popped up in the ads. My husband said: have a look at it. It’s 100 km from the Minsk Ring Road. He suggested we should go and check it out. When we came here, we fell in love with the place. And we immediately headed to the village council to ask about the house,” said Anastasia Yegorova, a Russian citizen.

There were two other people who wanted to buy the house. Therefore, the village council wanted to sell the house through an action, which upset the young family.

“We submitted an application, but we were very despondent as we didn’t have money to buy a house in the village. And if there is an auction, you have to compete for this property. Yet, we decided to give it a try and signed up for the auction. We thought we would raise the stakes as long as we had money for it. Soon we got a call and learned that we were the only ones, as the other two withdrew from the auction. So we were the only ones,” Anastasia said.

“ Property should undergo mandatory registration in Belarus. Thus, when purchasing real estate, people should register it with a state registration authority and pay a fee for this administrative procedure. Also, these empty houses are located on undocumented plots. Thus, new owners should obtain papers for them,” noted Yevgeny Baturevich, consultant of the Land Regulations Department of the State Property Committee of the Republic of Belarus.

 In total, with all the registration fees and paperwork, the house and the adjoining 100m2 land plot cost the Yegorov family about Br1,500.

“Many people ask how much money it amounts to, whether it really costs only one base amount. I have posted a video in TikTok and got a lot of questions about registration, electricity supply (as there is no electricity here). Many are interested in where to look for land plots and whether it is true that the cost is one base amount,” Anastasia Yegorova said. 

“I am having the house connected to the power grid, cables and sockets installed around the house. There are plans to put OSB on walls, do ceilings and windows. I need a stove setter to take a look at the stove and tell me whether I can use it or not. This house is planned as a summer house. The house needs to be completely rebuilt in order for us to live here permanently. It is a very good option for a summer house,” Fyodor Yegorov noted.

Of course, one should not expect to get a ready-to-move-in house for Br40. If there is a goal to move, you need to invest some effort and money. If you need a rural-life atmosphere, you should look for your place of strength in the register of empty houses.

“Neighbors have come around. My parents have visited us on vacation. Of course, we have come here to have some rest, have picnics. The neighbor here keeps cows. We agreed that we would buy milk from her,” Fyodor added.

How much do houses cost in Minsk and the suburbs

There are no houses available for one base amount in Minsk and regional cities. They can be bought only through an auction. It is also quite a challenge to buy real estate in the suburbs of the Belarusian capital. At first, the facility needs to be evaluated by the state registration agency. This is the starting price for the auction. It can either grow or drop. For example, two years ago, a lonely pensioner lived in a house on this plot in Minsk District. After her death, the house was valued at $16,000. The price was too high and no one was willing to buy it. The auction failed. Then the executive committee halved the price. And the house found its owner who decided to demolish the old housing and build a new one.

“We can see that this land plot has an owner who has been taking care of it over the past two years. Neither the land plot nor its owner causes any problems. There is a new life here,” said Marina Astrovka, chairperson of the Krupitsa rural executive committee.

Here is another example. Chernoleski village, Minsk District. 17km from the Minsk Ring Road. The site looks like a great deal. According to the documents, it is a semi-detached house. In reality it is one house. One part of it was recognized as vacant in 2021. The executive committee staff tried to persuade the second owner to take care of the house. They did not succeed. They had to use another option.

“We met with the owner, issued prescriptions, talked to her in person. Nothing happened. She decided not to take care of the land plot and the house. The house was in a sorry state. Neighbors complained, as the land plot was full of goldenrod, hogweed, and other weeds. In April 2024 the Minsk District court decided to recognize the second part of the house as vacant and approved its transfer to the Krupitsa village council,” Marina Astrovka said.

The house has been valued at almost Br25,000. This is more than RUB600,000. The auction will be called in the near future. It is unknown who will buy the house, and for what price. This house, as well as other empty houses, regardless of location, each has a sad story. The new owners will surely write a new one.

“Dear Belarusians and our closest friends from Ukraine and Russia, please think about my proposal to buy small plots in the so-called unpromising villages for a pittance, for a penny. You know that we have saved our villages. We are building more than 1,500 agrotowns. We have already determined where they will be. We have medium-sized and very small villages where many, many people used to live." 13.00 “Beautiful places, amazing places. These medium-sized and small villages must not perish. Who will keep them going? We will!” Aleksandr Lukashenko addressed his compatriots and neighbors of Belarus at the Kupala Night festival (Alexandria Gathers Friends) in July of this year.

BelTA