From mortgages to snips-wheezes: how the state helps builders. Video

A new episode of the City program on RBC TV Channel is dedicated to state support for the construction industry. Assistance tools include subsidizing loans to developers at the state level, as well as the introduction of rental holidays at the capital level

Text version

Last week, one of the main support measures for the Russian real estate and construction market was announced - a preferential mortgage lending program at 12% per annum. This was discussed at a meeting with the President of Russia.

Vladimir Putin , President of Russia:

“We need to ensure that new objects enter the housing market, and our citizens, <…> Russian families have a real opportunity to purchase housing, including with the help of a mortgage.

The parameters of the new preferential program are simple. The loan amount is 12 million rubles. for the purchase of new buildings in four metropolitan regions and 6 million rubles - throughout Russia. The rate is 12% per annum. Against the background of the conditions for housing loans without state support, the preferential one looks very good.

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia:

- However, I will emphasize right away that in this case it [the rate on preferential mortgages] will be significantly, almost two times lower than the current market rate, [which is] about 23-24%. And here it will be 12%.

But we're not just talking about mortgages. Demand support is right. But the builders themselves also need help. This was discussed at the same meeting of the President with the Cabinet of Ministers, and Moscow announced its own program. Let's talk in detail about state support for the construction industry. Let's start with the federal agenda. And the main character here is Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, who since the beginning of March has initiated several important support measures for builders. For example, in March, a decision was made to withdraw from the builders several complex procedures and approvals for new projects.

Marat Khusnullin, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia:

— Vladimir Vladimirovich, once a year ago you said a catchphrase about “snip-wheezes”, that it’s high time to get rid of this, that it prevents us from building ... We got rid of “snip-wheezes” for a year and a half]. I report: within the next month we will completely withdraw from all obligations and requirements (we have already prepared all the solutions), but without loss of quality and safety. And this measure has already been taken.

The Deputy Prime Minister also proposed subsidizing loans to builders - this is also a kind of “preferential mortgage”, but for builders.

Marat Khusnullin, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia:

“Today, the rate [on loans for builders] has risen to 30%. Of course, under such conditions, developers cannot take a loan, and it is clear that they cannot complete the projects that have been started today. We offer to offset the credit rate up to 15%. This will make it possible to attract about 600 billion rubles. into the construction economy, and, most importantly, we will continue both the construction projects that have already been started, and we will be able to start new ones.

We move on. The largest construction complex in Russia is Moscow (together with related industries, it generates about 1 million jobs). At the end of March, the Moscow mayor's office developed its own list of measures to support builders. One of the most important elements of such support, writes Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin in his blog, is the preservation of all infrastructure construction in the city. “The current volumes of the Targeted Investment Program will be fully preserved,” the document says. Andrey Bochkarev, the head of the Moscow Construction Complex, recently spoke on this topic.

Andrey Bochkarev, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Urban Planning Policy and Construction:

“We look confidently [on the development of the situation] in all important facilities. For the construction of the subway, they are fully provided with tunnel tunneling shields. Issues related to software and spare parts have already been resolved. We are not tied to the European Union, to the North American market. We plan to fully complete all work related to the launch of the Big Circle Line. Despite everything, we will complete the construction of other facilities. Therefore, we will continue the construction of various facilities necessary for the construction in Moscow and other regions of the country.

Also among Moscow's measures to support builders, I quote Sergei Sobyanin's blog:

an increase in the maximum amount of advance payments for a city order to 70%, a freeze on the current rental rates for construction sites, and the introduction of an interest-free deferment for six months on rental payments and a fee for changing the type of permitted use of a land plot.

This is important both for small contracting construction companies and for the largest development holdings. Another anti-crisis innovation in Moscow is that in the case of the construction of new industrial enterprises, the rent for land plots will be reduced to 1 ruble per year. In general, we are import substitution ...