No to self-build! Country houses will soon be built strictly according to all-Union State Standard (GOSTs)

Irina Mishina

GOSTs for the construction of private houses are going to be approved by next year. So far, work is underway on terms and definitions. Several structures participate in it at once - the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, DOM.RF and the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. The document will then be sent to the government of the Russian Federation. He has already found support in the State Duma.

Summer residents are afraid. Builders too

If the participation of professional builders is understandable and justified, the presence of the oligarchic business represented by the RSPP raises legitimate questions. We turned to the commission on housing policy of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs for a comment, but its chairman, developer, member of the Bureau of the Board of the RSPP Leonid Kazinets declined to comment. It added intrigue.

Meanwhile, comments have already begun to appear containing concern in connection with the introduction of these GOSTs. Summer residents fear that this will lead to the uniformity of projects, and developers are waiting for the introduction of new strict rules and requisitions.

“Projects can become monotonous, despite the fact that nowadays suburban housing is often characterized by individuality. Another negative effect could be an increase in prices. In case of an excess of requirements, they will grow by at least 20-30%. The introduction of GOST is an unviable project that will be rejected by both market participants and consumers, ” said Valery Lukinov, founder of the Zagorodny Development club .

At Uyutny Dom LLC, developers of suburban real estate also shared their concerns with us: “This will create additional bureaucracy, there will be a certain circle of contractors for these GOSTs. In general, it is not clear why they are needed, because there are general construction norms. There is a set of rules for reinforced concrete houses, for roofing. What else is needed? For builders, there will be difficulties, additional approvals, all this will result in bribes and extortions. There will be new certificates, permits and licenses instead of construction. And someone will make money on this!”

Dacha instead of the sea: who will help the mortgage

One of the initiators of the introduction of these GOSTs was the Association of Wooden Housing. We asked Svetlana Glazkina, press secretary of the association, to clarify the goals and objectives of this innovation. “Now, as part of the work on these GOSTs, terms and definitions are being developed. What is this about? Due to the huge demand for private country houses, many began to take mortgages for these projects. But what exactly is a mortgage, banks do not always understand. For example, what are we talking about - a house kit or a turnkey house? There was no question of a project standard. In order for the bank to better understand what the mortgage is issued for, it is necessary to clearly understand what kind of project it is about - a frame house, a frame-panel house, a log house. There are a lot of technologies today, they need to be systematized. All this is still necessary so that at the exit the customer receives a normal house instead of a crumbling unfinished building”, - Svetlana Glazkina, press secretary of the Association of Wooden Housing Construction, explained to NI.

Recently, the demand for country houses has really increased. In the context of the economic crisis, Russians have become more likely to choose outdoor recreation instead of expensive trips. A new round of demand is also caused by restrictions that are associated with sanctions. People began to invest in dachas and land plots money that they had previously spent on trips abroad and buying cars. Accordingly, there was also a request for mortgage lending for the construction of country houses.

Not so long ago, Russians were allowed to take preferential mortgages for the independent construction of a private house. The rate will not exceed 9% per annum, the maximum loan amount is from 6 million to 12 million rubles, depending on the region. This is a pilot project: in 2022, it is planned to issue about 8,000 loans under it. There are also certain conditions. For example, the borrower is obliged to build housing for the year. But there is one caveat: a preferential mortgage for the construction of a private house can only be taken with the involvement of a contractor - a professional company. In April, the government announced that it would support the construction of do-it-yourself housing: it is planned to subsidize banks by 2 percentage points on such loans. And in July, Russia began issuing preferential mortgage loans for the purchase of dachas at 3%. At the same time, the cost of suburban real estate is growing: cottages over the past year have risen in price by an average of 25-30%. Experts expect continued growth in demand for suburban housing. According to the head of the commission for project financing of the public council under the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation, Rifat Garipov , "support for summer cottage construction with the help of preferential mortgages will help maintain demand in the segment in the near future."

"No" to the same dachas!

But there were problems with the issuance of a mortgage. As we were told in the Russian Union of Builders, mortgage lending for country houses is easier and more understandable when there is a house project that meets GOST standards. At least it is clear how much it will cost and how long the construction will take. “Standards are needed so that developers work according to clear rules. For banks that issue mortgages, difficulties arise if there are no classifiers. No, the construction industry is not going to unify houses, it is simply planned to introduce transparent requirements for project documentation. And of course, you can choose any of the standard projects if it has passed the state examination. GOSTs will establish terms and requirements for the developer, understandable to everyone: the developer, the bank, the construction companies themselves, ”explained Violetta Basina, General Director of the Omakulma Group of Companies, Chairman of the Committee of the Russian Union of Builders on the interaction of developers and homeowners.

Those who fear that all houses will be built according to a single model were also reassured by State Duma deputy Alexander Yakubovsky, who supported this project: “GOSTs will not standardize the projects themselves, but the requirements for them. Of course, there is an opportunity to make a project of any house. But it must meet the requirements for both the project itself and the materials to be used. This is done in order to end up with a collateral for preferential mortgages that is understandable in terms of quality and liquidity.”

“We cannot drive all our citizens into one register and demand construction only according to such projects. It is necessary to clarify the requirements for the standard for the development of design documentation for an individual residential building, it does not need to be designed entirely according to dozens of regulations. The requirements can be simplified, but they must be, then we will get compliance with the rules, including urban planning norms, ”explains Konstantin Porotsky, chairman of the RCC committee on low-rise construction, managing partner of Omakulma Group of Companies.

Here, apparently, it is worth clarifying what kind of low-rise residential construction in terms of individual residential buildings we are talking about. The GOSTs will talk about the construction of low-rise residential buildings, or blocked residential buildings, the so-called town houses, which are being built in an industrial way.

New country house at a new price

The new project also deals with "infrastructure bonds". What it is? The fact is that GOSTs for the construction of individual residential buildings will also include requirements for public areas and territories, architectural appearance, and common shared property. “Now all the lands that are used for individual housing construction or low-rise construction in settlements do not have infrastructure - there are no power grids, no sewerage, no water supply. Naturally, this deprives projects of profitability. Infrastructure bonds are low-interest loans. Due to such a tool, the regions and the state will be able to put into circulation land plots that are now idle,” explained State Duma deputy Alexander Yakubovsky.

An important issue is related to the prices of suburban housing. How will they change after the introduction of new GOSTs? “GOSTs will lead to a reduction in the cost of housing. Because the industrial way to build much faster and cheaper. On the one hand, this is a reduction in the cost of production chains, and on the other hand, this is a shorter construction cycle. Together, all this will reduce costs, ” State Duma deputy Alexander Yakubovsky told NI.

The introduction of GOSTs, in principle, is the right thing to do. But it will inevitably lead to significant changes in the suburban housing market. “Small” structures that do not “fit” into GOSTs can leave it. “Changes are likely to await non-core companies or organizations with little construction experience. They will be forced to either leave the market or improve their processes by improving the quality of the objects being built,” comments Alla Kovaleva, commercial director of MOZAIK development.

The big companies will be the winners. Over time, having monopolized the suburban housing market, they are likely to dictate their prices on it.