Ildar Khalikov: “The implementation of major investment projects is impossible without rental housing”

The development of the rental housing market is a necessity in the implementation of major investment projects. This opinion was expressed by Prime Minister of Tatarstan Ildar Khalikov during a district meeting on the development of the affordable rental housing market held by Deputy Minister of Regional Development of the Russian Federation Sergei Darkin. The meeting was attended by representatives of regional authorities of the Volga Federal District, major construction companies and banking structures.

Opening the meeting Deputy Minister of Regional Development of the Russian Federation Sergei Darkin stressed the importance of the issue discussed. “We do need more manpower, we do need internal migration”, said S.Darkin. “Therefore, the chance to have home in different parts of the country is one of the most important”, he added.

Sergei Darkin said that rental housing should be built not only by using budget funds but also by involving various commercial tools.

According to Deputy Minister of Regional Development the Volga Federal District is a leader in the development of the rental housing market. “Some regions are already involved in this activity. These are Tatarstan and Chuvashiya”, said S.Darkin.

He reported that in 2013 it was essential to develop the entire federal regulatory environment and launch a number of pilot rental housing projects. In 2014-2015 the construction of rental housing in all parts of the federation should start, and by 2020 the proportion of rental housing stock should be 10%.

Prime Minister of Tatarstan Ildar Khalikov thanked the Ministry of Regional Development of the Russian Federation for the initiative to consider the issue. “In Tatarstan we build 2.5 million square meters of housing of different types annually. We already have some experience, and we know a number of problems and issues that arise”, said the Head of the Government.

 “The issue is also important for us because it is impossible to implement major investment projects without rental housing”, said Ildar Khalikov. “For the first time we faced this problem when we were implementing project “TANEKO”. Similar situation is in the implementation of the projects of SEZ “Alabuga”.

According to the Prime Minister of Tatarstan, residents of large cities of the Republic are at the same time interested in comfortable rental housing.

During the meeting representatives of the Fund for assisting the restructuring of housing and public utilities and the Agency for Housing Mortgage Lending told about the possibilities of the state support in the implementation of rental housing projects. The participants of the meeting received a number of proposals to modernize the legislation applicable in rental housing.

Minister of Construction, Architecture and Housing of the Republic of Tatarstan Irek Faizullin reported on the experience of Tatarstan in the construction of rental housing. Most projects in the Republic are being implemented by the State Housing Fund. The program on rental housing is also being launching by company ASG Management; there are other companies wishing to build rental housing. At the same time, according to Irek Faizullin, it is essential to make a decision of direct budgetary investment in the development of engineering infrastructure.