How to get a subsidy and improve your living conditions

Who receives support in housing matters?

Mainly, state support is expressed in material subsidies for citizens in need. Of course, not all citizens can count on such support, even if they have an urgent financial need.

Thus, the legislation identifies the following categories of citizens who are provided with material support in the form of subsidies for improving housing conditions:

persons who participated in military operations in so-called hot spots;
war veterans;
citizens whose earnings are below the established minimum, sufficient to ensure security;
employees of military structures;
families with three or more children;
persons carrying out labor activities in the regions of the North, as well as in regions that are equated by law to regions of the North;
legally married young people;
children released from orphanages;
disabled people who are officially employed in government agencies and receive wages from budget funds.

In this case, each person is allocated an unequal subsidy. Social services responsible for providing such a subsidy for the improvement of living conditions must, in a separate case, calculate the amount of payment according to his real needs and the needs of his family.

The amount of payment that a person or family needs is calculated according to the number of people living with him and from the monthly earnings of each person. The criterion for determining a person or family in need of a housing subsidy is also linked to the income of the person or family concerned.

Thus, if for each person in a family the income of working-age adults is less than the established minimum subsistence level, then such a family is recognized as needy. The amount of the allocated payment is assigned based on the amount of funds missing to the minimum.

But citizens should not forget that housing subsidies are issued for certain purposes, namely to improve housing. That is, with the allocated funds, citizens are obliged to buy ready-made housing or build their own house if they own a plot of land.

For whom?

Who can count on receiving help?

Subsidies for improving housing conditions can be received by the following categories of citizens.

Military personnel.
Departmental employees.
Participants of the Second World War.
Disabled people, orphans, low-income people.
Participants in various military operations.
Persons who participated in the liquidation of the nuclear power plant accident in Chernobyl.
Persons living in the Far North.
Young families.
Large families.

And now in more detail about some categories of citizens.

Far North

There is financial assistance from the state aimed at supporting citizens living in the Far North of the Russian Federation. They are intended for families who have lived in these regions for 15 years or more.

You can receive funds on a first-come, first-served basis by registering. The monetary amount of such assistance is different in each subject of the Russian Federation and is determined by local authorities.

WWII veterans

Social security workers, the veterans' council, the military police and the military registration and enlistment office are in charge of subsidizing this group of beneficiaries.

A distinctive feature is 100% payment of the cost of living space.

Military personnel

Key points.

Who can receive a subsidy?

persons who have served in the Russian Army for at least 10 years (military pensioners also fall into this category);
persons holding the rank of warrant officer, officer and above.

The amount of the subsidy is not fixed and directly depends on the length of service. The higher the length of service, the greater the payment.
Both married and single military personnel can receive state benefits.
This benefit is provided one-time.
Such financial assistance is targeted and can be spent on purchasing a new or expanding an existing living space (repairs, construction of extensions).
The amount of financial assistance is different in each constituent entity of the Russian Federation. It is calculated based on the average market price per 1 sq. meter of living space in a given region and the number of square meters allocated for a given family.
It is allowed to purchase housing within the allocated amount or more expensive, but with an additional payment at your own expense (full payment, installments, mortgage).
Purchasing new housing using allocated funds is possible only on the primary real estate market
To receive a subsidy for improving housing conditions, approval of the purchase by special authorities is required.
The assignment of financial assistance is not affected by the presence or absence of official housing.

Advantages of a modern program for military personnel:

independent choice of living space;
a significant discount on the purchase of an apartment in an apartment building under construction;
no queues: an apartment can be purchased immediately after such a right appears; payment will be made by the bank where the corresponding account was opened.

Low-income family

To begin with, it is worth clarifying who is considered to be poor. According to the law, a low-income category of citizens includes a person or family with an average income not exceeding the generally established minimum subsistence level.

To have a legal right to a state housing subsidy, these citizens must be officially recognized as low-income. The Housing Code of the Russian Federation provides standards for assessing the income of both single citizens and families, as well as parameters for assessing the property they own.

However, in the issue of recognition as low-income, there are many subtleties, non-compliance with which excludes the possibility of applying for subsidies.

The laws of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, in turn, establish their own order according to which citizens are or are not classified as low-income.

The formula for calculating income and property in each region has its own characteristics and is not uniform throughout Russia.

The cost of living also varies.

This value is recalculated every three months and is determined separately for the following categories of citizens:

able-bodied persons;
children;
pensioners.

When registering a family, the total family income is compared with the cost of living for the past three months. For comparison, data from the area of residence of the applicant is taken. In some regions of the Russian Federation, this calculation takes into account the age and status of each family member.

Large families

Families with three or more children, like many other categories of citizens, have the right to receive subsidies.

In this case, subsidies are issued at the expense of the territorial budget and in the established order of priority. Waiting times sometimes last more than one year.

It’s not enough to just have many children. To receive this financial assistance, the family must be recognized as low-income and in need of increased living space. Some subjects of the Federation establish other additional conditions.

Distinctive features of such subsidies:

free financial assistance from the state;
the owners of the purchased housing are all family members, including minors;
the subsidy is issued for a strictly fixed period, during which it is necessary to find housing (if the deadline has passed and no living space has been found, the subsidy is withdrawn and the family is put back on the waiting list);
the payment is targeted, issued for the purchase of an apartment in a new building or on the secondary housing market (participation in shared construction is allowed, specific conditions depend on the region).

For the young and proactive

A young family can also receive subsidies to improve their living conditions by first collecting the required package of documents and getting on the waiting list. All basic conditions can be clarified with the administration of the locality where you plan to receive a subsidy and purchase housing. Each subject has its own.

Main working points.

Age limit.
Restriction on square footage (the area of the purchased housing cannot be more than the required standard of 18 square meters per family member).
This government assistance can be used to pay the down payment for a mortgage.
The amount of assistance for a family with a child is 35%, without a child - 30% of the average market cost of housing. In some regions, payments may be increased. This issue is left to the discretion of local authorities.

Orphans and disabled people have their turn to improve and expand their living conditions.

Know your rights, and then your dream of owning your own home will become a reality!

Rules for providing subsidies for improving housing conditions

As already noted, subsidies for improving housing conditions are not provided to every person. The legislation establishes certain conditions for a person to have the right to apply for this type of support in the form of money.

Thus, citizens have the right to apply for this type of subsidy if:

they are included in the list of persons established by law for whose support this subsidy may be issued;
they are recognized by social services as persons in need of improved housing quality, which is official confirmation of the status of a person in need.

Provided that persons fall within the specified criteria, local authorities will issue an appropriate certificate certifying their eligibility to receive this subsidy. At the same time, most citizens try to deceive government agencies in order to receive such a subsidy, although they themselves do not need it.

Obtaining the status of a person in need by deception or forgery of certain documents entails certain punishment. Such a penalty could be deprivation of the right to apply for this subsidy over the next five years.

To establish the fact of the need for housing improvement, social services and local authorities first of all pay attention to the housing currently available to applicants. Living conditions must comply with the requirements of housing legislation.

We recommend that you read:

Who is eligible for government subsidies and how to get them

Thus, housing legislation establishes the following minimum requirements for the quality of housing occupied by certain persons:

housing must be suitable for living;
housing should not cause harm to the health of persons living in it;
Each resident must have at least 12 square meters of living space.

In addition, the criteria for determining the adequacy of living space per resident are established in different areas depending on the state program under which the subsidy is issued.

So:

if the subsidy is issued under the federal Housing program, then for each person when calculating the living space there should be 33 square meters;
if subsidies are carried out according to the support program for young families, then at least 18 square meters of living space must be allocated for each family member.

But it is worth noting that with regional programs of housing support for the population, each region has the right to set its own minimum values for providing people with living space. For this reason, before applying for a particular subsidy, it is necessary to consult with responsible employees of authorized government bodies.

Recipients

Different regions have different programs to provide housing for citizens in need. Therefore, different groups of people can receive government subsidies for the purchase of an apartment. Most often they are entitled to it:

young families;
large families;
WWII veterans;
military personnel;
civil servants;
orphans;
Young professionals.

In addition to being classified in one of these categories, these people must need improved housing conditions or not have their own housing at all. Receiving a state subsidy for the purchase of housing is issued primarily in cases where:

housing with a total area of less than 15 square meters. meters per person;
living in unsafe or unsanitary premises;
dangerous illness of a family member.

Types of housing subsidies for citizens

The state is constantly developing new support programs.

Today in the Russian Federation there are the following programs to help citizens solve housing problems:

preferential lending to citizens at a low interest rate;
state subsidies for individuals to purchase or build their own home;
mortgage issued to military personnel;
a subsidy issued in the form of a certificate, which is cashed only when the funds are used for appropriate purposes;
social mortgage issued at a low interest rate.

What type of assistance will be provided to a particular person depends on the status of the person, on which category of beneficiaries the person belongs to.

Money for each individual case of subsidization can be allocated both from local budgets and from national funds.

The main condition for allocating money to subsidize citizens for housing is that the funds are provided free of charge. However, the state has the right to establish certain conditions under which these funds can be used.

These conditions are:

targeted spending of allocated funds - citizens who are allocated a subsidy can use the funds only to purchase a home or to build their own residential building;
limited period of use - persons to whom the state has allocated funds are obliged to use these funds in accordance with their purpose within a certain period of time.

Today, persons who have been allocated a subsidy by the state undertake to use these funds in accordance with the purpose of their allocation within six months from the time the funds were allocated to them.

If people are late, then the state gives them a chance to apply for the subsidy again. However, in this case, they will have to fill out all the documents again and wait their turn.

What can this subsidy be used for?

According to the law, you can spend funds allocated by the state to improve your home for the following purposes:

to pay the full or partial cost of the purchased housing;
to repay an existing mortgage loan;
to carry out repair work in an existing dwelling, but on the condition that the dwelling belongs to the recipient of assistance on the basis of legal ownership.

All detailed rules for receiving and using subsidies are established by the relevant federal and regional legislative acts. For this reason, first you need to decide what kind of subsidy you need to apply for.

We recommend that you read:

How to calculate an apartment subsidy

Who is entitled to a subsidy for the purchase of an apartment in 2020: conditions and state programs

Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated October 24, 2011 No. 1422 “On housing provision for certain categories of citizens of the Russian Federation.”
Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated January 27, 2009 No. 63 “On providing federal civil servants with a one-time subsidy for the purchase of residential premises” (ibid., “Rules for providing federal civil servants with a one-time subsidy for the purchase of residential premises”).
Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated December 5, 2011 No. 994 “On the implementation of Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated October 24, 2011 No. 1422 “On housing provision for certain categories of citizens of the Russian Federation.”
Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 02/03/2014 No. 76 “On approval of the Rules for calculating subsidies for the acquisition or construction of residential premises (living premises) provided to military personnel - citizens of the Russian Federation and other persons in accordance with the Federal Law “On the Status of Military Personnel”.
Federal Law of October 25, 2002 No. 125-FZ “On housing subsidies for citizens leaving the regions of the Far North and equivalent areas.”
Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated April 15, 2014 No. 296 “On approval of the state program of the Russian Federation “Social support for citizens.”
Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of December 17, 2010 No. 1050 “On the federal target program “Housing” for 2020 - 2020.”

find out the required list of documentation and certificates (the need for their original presentation or the sufficiency of a copy) from specialists of the government agency where the queue is formed at the place of residence;
collect a complete documentary package;
submit an application with documents;
wait for the commission's decision (one month);
if approved, wait your turn for a subsidy;
open a special account in a bank participating in the state subsidy program, where, after the turn arrives, funds are credited;
within the period specified by the certificate, spend the funds in accordance with the intended purpose: purchase/construction of an apartment/house, repayment of the mortgage.

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How to get a subsidy for improving housing conditions out of turn

As already noted, people are provided with subsidies to expand their housing conditions on a rolling basis. The one who filled out the documents and got in line earlier will receive the money first. The state and local authorities will implement the state program or the program of their own region as funds become available in the respective budgets.

However, the law establishes certain categories of applicants for subsidies who have the right to receive support without waiting their turn.

The following categories of citizens are classified by law as such persons:

citizens whose homes are recognized as being in disrepair;
persons living in housing whose wear and tear is estimated at more than 70%;
citizens struggling with a serious or chronic illness;
persons who live with the citizens listed above in the same residential premises.

In addition, citizens who are officially recognized as war veterans receive subsidies on a preferential basis.

Today, the following categories of persons have the right to be called a veteran:

persons who participated in the military operations of the Second World War (Great Patriotic War);
persons who became disabled during the Second World War;
persons who lived in this city at the time of the siege of Leningrad during the Second World War;
military personnel who served on the front line for more than six months during the Second World War;
citizens who worked at defense and military enterprises of the USSR during the Second World War.

All persons who in any way contributed to the victory in the Second World War, by participating in hostilities or working in the rear, are entitled to receive comfortable housing at the expense of the state.

Housing subsidy scheme

Instructions on how to apply for a subsidy for an apartment:

Collecting a package of papers. Documents for the subsidy: Identity cards of all family members.
Certificate from the administration that the family is recognized as needy.
Documentation confirming membership in a preferential category. For example, a certificate of a veteran or a large family.
Certificates of family income.
Marriage and divorce certificate, if available.
Employment history.
Title deeds or lease agreements.

What documents are needed for a subsidy depend on many factors. Therefore, it is recommended to contact the Pension Fund at your place of residence for more accurate information. Documents must be carefully checked before submission. This will help avoid additional running around.

Open an additional special blocked account for transferring money. Documents for obtaining a subsidy are supplemented with a copy of the agreement.
Where to apply for a housing subsidy depends on the region and the chosen program. Usually, documents to receive a subsidy are submitted to the Pension Fund or to a special subsidy department at the administration at the place of residence. Sometimes benefits are provided by banks when applying for a mortgage using a government program. The benefit may not be provided immediately; then you will have to wait for some time, depending on the existing queue. Typically, the application is reviewed within one month, but it may take longer.
If a positive decision is made, the applicant is issued a corresponding certificate.
The required amount is sent to the applicant’s personal bank account, and after purchasing the living space, it is transferred to the seller’s account. This rule helps to avoid fraud schemes. You cannot cash out.

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Any violation of the rules or inconsistency of the information provided may result in a negative decision.

Important!

The certificate is valid only for six months. Then the money goes back into the budget. We will have to ask again for subsidies for the purchase of housing. Only then will the benefit be possible.

You can buy:

Existing apartment. It is allowed to take living space from the secondary market in an old house or living space in a new building.
Acquired residential premises under shared construction. An agreement is concluded under which, over the next few years, the buyer pays for an apartment in a building under construction. Once the house is built, the property can be used as property.
Using these funds, build a house yourself.
Real estate financed by a mortgage loan using a certificate. Then, in the standard package of documentation, it is necessary to include a loan agreement.

You cannot receive a subsidy for the purchase of an apartment in cash. When concluding a purchase and sale agreement, a certificate is included in the documentation package. In order to redirect funds from his account, you will have to write an additional application.

Subsidies for the purchase of housing are not available to all groups of the population. There are only certain categories of persons who are entitled to take advantage of such benefits. Subsidizing is financed from regional budgets.

Therefore, local authorities approve persons who are entitled to receive benefits in purchasing housing. The decision to issue funds from the regional budget is made by a specially created Pension Fund commission.

Providing subsidies to families with many children

Despite the special status of certain categories of persons, large families are a priority in this matter. Although they are forced to wait in line, their right to subsidies is recognized as indisputable.

Families with many children are considered to be families in which, in addition to their own children, they also have adopted children. For a family to be recognized as large, there must be more than three children living in it. However, in certain regions of the state this figure may be higher.

Persons who are taken into account when obtaining such status are:

Children who are under 18 years of age at the time of registration of this status. It doesn’t matter whether the child is your own or adopted.
Children who study in higher educational institutions and who are under 23 years of age at the time of registration of status.
Children who study full-time at a university, regardless of their age.

A subsidy for a large family is issued according to an application by the authorities of the locality in which such an application was submitted. Accordingly, funds for housing provision for such families are allocated from local budgets. Since the budgets of most settlements are small, families have to wait for their turn for years.

In addition to, in fact, the status of a large family, it must have the status of a home in need of improvement. To do this, it must meet the requirements specified earlier.

Documents for subsidies

When applying for a subsidy, citizens must confirm their rights to receive these funds. Therefore, it is necessary to collect documents certifying the preferential category of applicants. The main ones are:

identification documents;
certificates of family composition;
certificates of living conditions;
certificates confirming the income of family members;
certificates of absence of debt for housing and communal services.

Documents should be submitted to the district social protection department. They will give you a form on which you will need to write an application requesting a subsidy for the purchase of housing. To clarify certain questions, you may be asked to bring additional information. In order not to waste time on additional visits, it is better to consult in advance about what documents are needed in a particular case.

Disabled and financially disadvantaged persons

Special rules apply when subsidizing disabled people.

So, when providing a payment to a disabled person, the following rules must be taken into account:

the subsidy is not given to those who live with disabled people;
when several disabled people live in one family, the subsidy is provided to all of them separately;
if a disabled child lives in a family, the subsidy is calculated based on the number of members of such a family;
disabled people who, due to their physical disability, use wheelchairs have the right to receive subsidies without waiting their turn.

Some financially disadvantaged individuals may also qualify for preferential subsidy conditions. For example, such a person could be a single mother.

A single mother is required to formalize the following facts:

that she truly cares for the children alone;
the fact that she does not have enough income to support her children and provide them with the necessary living space.

However, despite the difficult situation of single mothers and other financially insecure individuals, they cannot apply for subsidies out of turn.

How to get a free apartment from the state for a young family

Do not have any residential property;
Owners of housing under a contract of sale or social tenancy, provided that the number of square meters for each family member does not reach the figure regulated by law;
Living in premises that do not meet sanitary standards and requirements;
Citizens sharing living space with several families, one of which has a person suffering from a serious illness that does not allow them to live in the same room. The list of such diseases is regulated at the federal level of executive authorities.

So, this semi-program implies government payments equal to 30-35% of the amount that the family invested in housing. The undoubted advantage of this program was its versatility - it was thanks to it that it gained serious popularity among Russians. First of all, through it you can purchase not only an apartment, but also other residential real estate, including a private house.

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Procedure for obtaining a certificate: where to apply and deadlines

Receiving a subsidy is the end of one stage and the beginning of the next. Financial state support is issued after it is the turn of the person in need. The subsidy can be provided by several types of certificates:

A form indicating the amount of allocated money that cannot be cashed out.
A paper that confirms the existence of a benefit, but does not fall within the definition of a valuable document.
A certificate issued to participants in various subprograms. Often it involves improving existing conditions.

In all cases, a housing certificate is confirmation that the state provides assistance to its owner.

The housing certificate has the following restrictions:

Can only be used for its intended purpose.
It assumes gratuitousness, that is, you will not have to return the allocated funds, nor will you have to work them off.
Issued once per recipient.
The amount of the subsidy is commensurate with the right to assistance.

Receiving the coveted certificate does not mean that the procedure is over. It is important to implement it correctly and in a timely manner. The implementation process is as follows:

The bank in which the account will be opened is selected, where the amount indicated on the certificate will be received.
Information about the account number is transmitted to the housing department.
A property is selected that satisfies all conditions and requirements.
A home purchase agreement is drawn up.
The documents are sent to the bank for examination, after which the money is transferred to the seller’s account.
An act of acceptance and transfer of property and a receipt for receipt of funds in full are drawn up.
Real estate is registered in Rosreestr.
Reporting is provided on the intended use of funds.

Each stage takes time; if the procedure is carried out correctly, the buyer can become the happy owner of his own living space within a few months.

Financial compensation for the purchase of an apartment in the form of a subsidy is issued on the basis of information about the individual who wishes to apply for it.

How to apply for a housing subsidy:

it is necessary to contact the administration of the locality in which the person in need of housing lives;
write a statement according to the sample.

The application must be accompanied by the result of an assessment by a special commission confirming unsatisfactory living conditions and documents for the inspected living space.

Housing standards:

33 sq. m per person;
42 sq. m for two people;
18 sq. m for each subsequent family member.

After reviewing and evaluating the information provided by a person about his house or apartment applying for a state certificate to improve the quality of living conditions, authorized employees are required to check all specified data for accuracy. If all the information corresponds to the information initially provided by the applicant, a positive decision is made to provide the citizen with material support in the form of a free subsidy.

Authorized employees place the application in the general queue, and the applicant is sent a corresponding notification.

The waiting period for the queue to expire can vary from 1 year to several years.

After the queue has expired, the commission makes a calculation in the amount according to the conditions and data of the citizen. If the applicant’s living conditions change during the waiting period, he is obliged to promptly notify the authorities about this.