Rent, mortgage, housing queues — The Rada prepares changes for Ukrainians.

The Verkhovna Rada has passed in the first reading bill No. 12377 'On the main principles of housing policy', which aims to lay the groundwork for a large-scale housing reform in Ukraine. The document not only revises approaches to mortgages, rentals, and housing queues, but also opens up opportunities for attracting international financing.

This was announced by the chairwoman of the VR Committee on the organization of state power, local self-government, regional development and urban planning

Olena Shulyak

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'We are taking the first step towards saying goodbye to the Housing Code of 1983', emphasized the deputy.

The housing queue in Ukraine will be relaunched in a new way

As of 2015, over 600,000 Ukrainians were officially in line for housing. According to Shulyak, most of them did not receive apartments due to the fact that the queues are effectively stagnant — the state provides only a few hundred apartments each year.

After the onset of full-scale war, another large category has been added to these queues — internally displaced persons. The new law aims to create real mechanisms for accessing housing, so that the demand for it is met more quickly and effectively.

Social rental and rent-to-own will appear in Ukraine

One of the key innovations is the introduction of temporary housing mechanisms for those who cannot afford to buy an apartment. There are two formats:

• social rental,
• rent-to-own.

Both instruments are widely used in EU countries and provide for the provision of housing on affordable terms with the possibility of partial purchase or use without ownership rights. The Ukrainian version will have to be adapted to our context — taking into account citizens' incomes, market conditions, and community needs.

The state will create a social housing fund

Currently in Ukraine, there is practically no centralized social housing fund. This is a result of the large-scale privatization of the housing stock in the 90s. The bill envisages its creation — both through new construction and the completion of problematic facilities.

'This will include new housing being constructed at state expense and public-private partnerships', Shulyak explained.

Who will receive social housing and how will it work

Social housing will be provided to those who are objectively unable to independently secure housing. In particular, this includes:

• internally displaced persons,
• young families,
• people with disabilities,
• veterans,
• large families.

It is expected that the relevant criteria and procedure for providing such housing will be established by additional sub-legislative acts. Housing operators can be either local self-government bodies or specially created state structures or companies within the framework of partnership projects.

New lending programs and cooperatives will be launched

In addition to social housing, the reform provides for:

• the launch of financial lending programs that will make mortgages more accessible;
• the revival of housing construction cooperatives, which were popular in Ukraine before the 2000s;
• the creation of operators for affordable housing that will implement projects within the framework of public-private partnerships.

These instruments are expected to not only expand the opportunities for Ukrainians in terms of housing acquisition but also activate the construction industry.

What the reform means for EU funding

Bill No. 12377 is part of Ukraine's commitments under the Ukraine Facility program. Its adoption is one of the conditions for receiving 300 million euros by the 4th quarter of 2025. In total, this program foresees 50 billion euros until 2027.

This means that the reform has not only internal but also a powerful external dimension. It confirms Ukraine's serious intentions to change its approach to housing policy and make it modern, open, and effective.

What comes next after the first reading

After the approval of bill No. 12377 in the first reading, work will begin on two other key documents:

• the bill on the social housing fund,
• the bill on the management of this fund.

'We want everything to work comprehensively – from queues to rentals and ownership rights. Ukrainians must gain access to decent housing not just on paper, but in reality', Shulyak noted.

During the first reading, the Verkhovna Rada approved a bill that envisions a large-scale housing reform in Ukraine. It includes new mechanisms for accessing housing, such as social rental and rent-to-own, the creation of a social housing fund, and other important innovations aimed at improving housing accessibility for Ukrainians. In addition to internal changes, the reform also has a powerful external dimension, as it is one of the conditions for receiving funding from the European Union.