New apartment building in the Pechersk district of Kiev

Get Help Renting an Apartment in Kiev, Ukraine

Finding an apartment to rent in Ukraine can be a daunting task, especially if you do not know the language or are visiting the country for the first time. Foreigners are consistently charged higher prices if agents and landlords see that they can get away with it. Plus, virtually all rental services for foreigners on the Internet offer short-term rent only. What to do if you are coming to Ukraine for a long period of time and want to pay what locals do?

Kiev long-term rental service

TryUkraine.com partner and linguist Gela Turabelidze works with local real estate agencies to find apartments for long-term rental for foreign citizens in Kiev. Gela focuses on the middle and upper-range segment (generally starting $1000/mo., sometimes a bit cheaper), because the least expensive apartments are almost always in too bad shape for foreign tenants. Unfortunately, real estate rents have gone way up in the past 3 years.  

The best time to contact Gela is one to three weeks before you would like to move in. Requests for two months in advance are pointless, since apartments tend to come and go on a daily basis. Make sure you first read below about how apartment rental in Kiev (Ukraine) is different from renting in the U.S. and most western countries. 

Please do not ask for "pictures of available apartments," because he only has information provided by landlords and other agents over the phone (this is how all agents work). When one or more suitable options have been found, Gela or his assistant will accompany you to view the apartment(s). This means that if you are coming to Kiev for the long term, it would make sense to book a hotel room or apartment for the short term until you have rented an apartment for the long term.

You will usually need to make a quick decision or leave some money to hold the apartment for a day while you are reviewing your options. Gela or his assistant will act as an interpreter and will have you and the landlord sign a rental agreement. Read more on apartment rental in Ukraine here.

Like everywhere in Ukraine, the charge for this apartment-finding service amounts to 50% of the first month's rent as his service fee. This is paid at the contract signing when the new tenant gives the landlord payment for the first two months (most common practice). A rental agreement can be signed on the spot if you choose to rent an apartment, so make sure you have the appropriate sum of money with you or have at least enough to hold the apartment for a day (generally 10% of the first month's rent). Find out beforehand what currency your rental payments should be in (US dollars are most common, but Euros and the Ukrainian Hryvnia are gaining in popularity).

Long-term apartment rental in Kiev (Ukraine) versus the U.S. 

The rental business in Ukraine is quite different from the West. Make sure you understand the differences below to avoid misunderstandings and possible disappointment. This is how the long-term apartment rental business operates everywhere you go in Ukraine (the rules for short-term rent are different):

• Landlords typically contact multiple real estate agencies to increase their chances of finding tenants as quickly as possible.
• Thus, real estate agencies rarely have pictures of the apartments they have on offer, and they may well be viewing the apartment for the first time when they take you there for a viewing.
• With rare exceptions, real estate agency's relationships with apartment landlords are very short-lived; they find tenants, write up a contract, and that is the end of their contact with the landlords.
• Thus, agencies earn their money not by receiving an undisclosed percentage of each month's rent from the landlords, but by charging the tenant The standard agency fee is 50% of the first month's rent; this fee is paid to the agency in cash during the contract signing.
• New tenants typically pay the landlords for two months' rent upon signing the rental agreement. This is usually not a security deposit to be given back at the end of the rental period, but simply payment for the first two months of rent. Two months later, tenants will need to pay for the next month. This arrangement is often flexible, and sometimes tenants can negotiate a lower monthly rate if they pay for more months up front.
• With few exceptions, landlords manage their apartments themselves and pick up payment from their tenants directly. This is usually in cash, but this might be changing. 
• Few landlords report their rental income. Just in case they end up having to pay taxes on it, they very often indicate in the contract a lower rent than is actuallybeing paid. In addition, they are usually reluctant to register foreign tenants at the local VVIR (or OVIR). 
• Thus, if you require an accurate contract amount or passport registration to stay in the country for more than three months at a time, you may have to pay a higher rent to compensate the landlords for the inconvenience and for income tax (15% flat tax on earnings apart from one's primary place of work).
• Most landlords are looking for tenants to rent for as long as possible (a year and more), to make it easier on themselves. Renting for a shorter period might mean higher monthly payments. 
• In practice, the rental term indicated in the rental agreement is not binding; tenants can usually move out with no problem with one month's notice. In addition, they can almost continue renting beyond the period without signing a new contract. Landlords may also try to renegotiate the cost of rent after a while. 
• To avoid the buildup of debt, most landlords these days include the cost of some or all utilities in the monthly rent.

Use the form below to contact Gela for assistance finding an apartment for long-term rent in Kiev. Make sure you have read the points above. If you need to rent for under 2 months, use this form.

NAME CITIZENSHIP E-MAIL PHONE NUMBER (IF IN UKRAINE) APARTMENT RENTAL PERIOD CITY  WHEN WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO MEET AND VIEW APARTMENTS? MESSAGE: Please describe what kind of apartment you are looking for: number of rooms, location, price range, furniture, conveniences, etc. You MUST enter the word 'staple' here for your message to get through our spam filter!