Project to build municipal rental housing for Mariupol residents

According to the Mariupol City Council, 59,000 families lost their homes as a result of the war. To address this challenge, the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development, together with the Kyiv Regional Military Administration and the Mariupol and Bila Tserkva communities, is implementing a project to construct municipal (social) rental housing for internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Mariupol.

The project is being implemented within an experimental program approved by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 814 of 7 July 2025 and provides for rental housing at below-market rates.

Construction scope and timelines

• first phase — 1,000 apartments;
• designed to accommodate approximately 3,000 IDPs;
• completion of the first phase — by the end of 2026.

Key project components

• Formation of a municipal rental housing stock with a transparent allocation mechanism;
• Preferential mortgage lending for IDPs, military personnel, veterans, families of fallen defenders, large families, and persons with disabilities.

Categories of recipients of municipal (social) rental housing

1) IDPs who, prior to displacement, had a registered or declared place of residence within the territory of the Mariupol City Territorial Community, provided that all of the following conditions are met:

• the IDP or any family member does not own housing (or a share thereof) exceeding 13.65 sq. m per person, if such housing is located in territories where hostilities are not (or were not) taking place and which are not temporarily occupied, or in territories for which an end date of hostilities or occupation has been established;

Exception: housing, regardless of area, was destroyed or damaged to an uninhabitable condition and entered into the State Register of Damaged and Destroyed Property, or confirmed by an inspection report or technical assessment in accordance with Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 473.

• are veterans and/or family members, or were mobilized during the special period without combatant status, and their family members;
• are servicemembers and/or family members;
• were deprived of personal liberty as a result of armed aggression (after release), and/or family members;
• are family members of a fallen (deceased) defender;
• are persons with disabilities and families with a child or children with disabilities;
• are large families, families with children under three years of age, family-type children’s homes, and foster families;
• require constant third-party care or supported living due to health conditions, or families that include such persons.

2)IDPs who, prior to displacement, actually resided or stayed within the territory of the Mariupol City Territorial Community, provided that all of the following conditions are met:

• participated in the defense of the city of Mariupol and/or
• were deprived of personal liberty as a result of aggression, and/or
• their family members, provided there is no ownership of housing (or a share thereof) exceeding 13.65 sq. m per person in safe or de-occupied territories, or there is destroyed or uninhabitable housing confirmed by state registers or inspection reports.

Indicative calculation of municipal (social) rental housing costs

Indicative calculations are based on a system of coefficients, which makes it possible to forecast the approximate rental cost of housing constructed under the project. The rental fee is calculated using the following formula:

Rental Cost = AR×S×RC×SC

*AR- the average amount of rent per 1 square metre of an apartment

*S- the square footage of the apartment

*RC- room coefficient that takes into account the number of rooms (one room - 1; two rooms - 0.87; three rooms - 0.8)

*SC- social coefficient

The average rent per 1 sq. m is determined by dividing the national average rent for a one-room apartment (according to State Statistics Service data as of January of the current year, published on its official website) by the social housing standard of 35.22 sq. m. According to the State Statistics Service as of January 2025, the average rent is UAH 208 per sq. m. The social coefficient accounting for the project’s social component equals 0.75.

Based on this, the approximate calculation of the rent for municipal (social) rental housing in Bila Tserkva should be as follows:

• 1-room apartment (40 sq. m): 208 × 40 × 1.0 × 0.75 = UAH 6,240
• 2-room apartment (53 sq. m): 208 × 53 × 0.87 × 0.75 = UAH 7,193
• 3-room apartment (65 sq. m): 208 × 65 × 0.8 × 0.75 = UAH 8,112

Important! IDPs may receive municipal (social) rental housing regardless of the place of registration in the Unified Information Database on IDPs and do not have to receive IDP living assistance.

Application procedure for municipal rental housing

To obtain municipal (social) rental housing, an applicant submits an application in free form to the Mariupol City Military Administration of Mariupol District, Donetsk Oblast (in person/by post/by email with a qualified electronic signature), indicating:

• full name of the applicant;
• passport details or other identity and citizenship document;
• taxpayer identification number or a note on refusal for religious reasons;
• contact details (phone, email, if available);
• information about persons who will reside in the housing;
• confirmation of non-receipt of the monetary assistance provided by the Resolution;
• notification of absence of housing ownership (if required);
• chosen method of receiving the invitation to conclude a lease (by post or electronically).

Copies of the following documents shall be attached (for the applicant and family members):

• identity and Ukrainian citizenship documents;
• extract from the territorial community register;
• taxpayer identification number ;
• documents confirming housing ownership (if available);
• documents confirming family relations (marriage, birth certificates);
• IDP certificate;
• documents confirming disability or a child with disability (if required);
• certificates confirming deprivation of personal liberty (if required);
• certificates or registry extracts confirming war veteran status, disability due to war, or family member of a fallen defender (if required).

An application is reviewed within 15 working days from the date of receipt. In case of a positive decision, settlement is based on a municipal housing lease agreement, which defines the rights and obligations of the parties, conditions of use, and the list of residents. Importantly, the lease term is not less than six months, ensuring relative housing stability and the ability to plan residence in the medium term.

If you need legal advice on submitting an application or participating in state housing programs, specialists of PravoVsim can assist you. You can book a consultation via the link.

This information material has been produced as part of a project implemented by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) with funding from the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the DRC. Neither the European Commission nor the DRC can be held responsible for the content of this material.