The State Duma called for canceling the area-based surcharge when resettling residents of condemned buildings.

      December 2, 2025 17:00 Society Residents of unsafe buildings receiving new apartments face the need to pay extra for excess area. State Duma deputy Yana Lantratova proposed eliminating the surcharge for up to 7 sq. m. She sent a corresponding appeal to the Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services, Irek Fayzullin, 360.ru reports.

      According to Lantratova, the floor areas of modern apartments differ from those in old buildings, which leads to additional expenses for those being relocated. These expenses often become the cause of disputes and legal proceedings between owners and authorities, delaying the implementation timelines of resettlement programs.

      Compensation approaches vary by region: in some places the municipality or developer covers the additional payments, while in others the costs fall on the citizens. Lantratova proposed setting a fixed threshold of 7 sq. m, exempting resettled residents from paying for that area.

      Mortgage broker Dmitry Rakuta noted that surcharges for area are practiced not only in resettlement programs but also in the real estate market in general. Buyers of new developments often rely on approximate area figures and pay extra if the actual area turns out to be larger.

      Rakuta emphasized that Lantratova’s initiative is the right one for forcibly relocated residents with limited incomes. Errors in developers’ area estimates occur, and such situations happen in about one in ten cases. Usually small deviations of one square meter go unnoticed, but significant excesses require additional payment.

      The expert also suggested making the initiative retroactive so that those who have already paid for extra square meters could receive refunds.

      It was previously reported that in Nizhny Novgorod the regional targeted program to resettle citizens from unsafe housing, recognized as such between January 1, 2017 and January 1, 2022, continues to be implemented. In total, more than 6,000 people are planned to be resettled from about 250 apartment buildings with a total area of 93,100 square meters. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" has a Telegram channel. Subscribe to stay informed of the main events, exclusive materials and timely information. Copyright © 1999–2025 NIA "Nizhny Novgorod". When republishing, a hyperlink to NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" is mandatory. This resource may contain 18+ materials.