How to buy an apartment through the "eOselya" program: key details on prices and nuances of purchasing a home with a loan.
The cost of real estate in Ukraine continues to rise. Specifically, housing prices increase every year. Experts say that inflation, currency fluctuations, and challenges faced by construction companies—such as a significant shortage of labor and rising construction material costs—are influencing this trend.
In 2025, a 10-15% increase in housing prices is expected due to the rising cost of construction and a decrease in market supply. This is a result of the low initiation of new projects during 2022-2024.
According to an expert, contractors are significantly raising their prices under current conditions, and when you add in the increase in utility costs, electricity, and related tariffs—which also greatly affect production costs—it’s no surprise that housing prices will continue to rise.
Low-Interest Loan: Details on the "єОселя" Program
Ukrainians who wish to purchase their own housing but cannot do so immediately due to a lack of necessary funds have the opportunity to take out a mortgage under the government program "єОселя," which provides mortgages for specific categories of citizens. The interest rate on such a loan is only 3% per annum. Loans can be obtained through Oschadbank, PrivatBank, Globus Bank, Ukrgasbank, or Sky Bank.
Ukrainians who wish to purchase their own housing but cannot do so immediately due to a lack of necessary funds have the opportunity to take out a mortgage under the government program "єОселя," which provides mortgages for specific categories of citizens.
The loan under this program is available for certain categories of citizens (security and defense representatives, healthcare workers, educators, and scientists), as well as for military personnel, veterans, internally displaced persons, and other Ukrainians who do not own housing or whose housing area is less than 52.5 square meters (for one person) + 21 square meters for each additional family member.
According to Anna Laevskaya, buyers today need long-term financial instruments, and a mortgage of 20-30 years makes housing acquisition accessible to a broader audience, particularly attracting citizens with moderate or even below-average income levels.
"Today, some developers, particularly Intergal-Bud, report that sales under the "єОселя" program account for 40-50% of the total transaction structure. Before the war, the share of credit purchases did not exceed 7-10%," says Anna Laevskaya.
Experts note that the apartments chosen by borrowers under the "єОселя" program are usually in the economy and comfort class.
0 How to Apply for a Mortgage Under the "єОселя" Program: Required Documents
Regarding the loan application process under the "єОселя" program, Stanislav Yakin states that the bureaucratic procedures in banks are minimized. "For the first stage, basic documents are required: passport, identification code, and a certificate of income or an extract from the turnover for individual entrepreneurs. You can apply for the "єОселя" program through the "Dія" app by filling out a short questionnaire and selecting a bank from the list of available options. After that, the client receives the first loan offer. Usually, the entire process—from the first visit to the sales department to signing the purchase agreement—takes up to 1.5 months," the expert explained.
Can You Buy an Apartment in a New Building Using the "єВідновлення" Certificate?
Overall, experts note that the increase in demand for new apartments today is supported not only by the government program "єОселя" but also by another government program—the "єВідновлення," under which Ukrainians receive certificates for housing destroyed as a result of Russian aggression. However, according to Stanislav Yakin, there are currently fewer buyers using the "єВідновлення" certificate compared to participants in the "єОселя" program.
The increase in demand for new apartments today is supported not only by the government program "єОселя" but also by another government program—the "єВідновлення."
"This largely depends on the funding of the program and the difficulties in evaluating properties destroyed in temporarily occupied territories," the expert notes. He adds that the certificate can now be used as a down payment for the "єОселя" mortgage. This significantly reduces the financial burden on the buyer, as they need to secure a smaller loan amount for the full payment.
Furthermore, Stanislav Yakin states that this expands housing choices and allows the purchase of an apartment that best meets the family's needs.
According to Stanislav Yakin, to purchase an apartment using the "єВідновлення" certificate, only a few documents are needed: passport, identification code, the certificate itself, and documents related to the destroyed property for which compensation was received. "The transaction process usually takes up to two weeks, considering the preparation for the purchase. An important point is that when registering the new housing, the buyer officially renounces the destroyed property in favor of the new apartment," said Stanislav Yakin.
1 Changing Trends: What Types of Apartments Are Gaining Popularity in Ukraine
Experts note a change in the structure of demand for apartments in new buildings. According to Anna Laevskaya, since the main drivers of the market are credit programs, the demand for one-room apartments is gradually decreasing. Instead, more transactions are being made for two- and three-room apartments, as well as larger two-level apartments that previously remained unsold. The reason is the demand from larger families and borrowers who can afford to purchase more spacious housing. At the same time, the expert noted a significant interest in offers for renovated apartments: every second application for credit housing includes a request for an apartment with repairs. "We would like to increase the share of renovated apartments to 50-60%, but so far, due to the labor shortage, this is not possible," noted Anna Laevskaya, who stated that the market is still dominated by the "bare walls" format, but the trend is changing—demand for renovated apartments will only grow in the coming years.
2 What Changes to Expect in 2025 and Will More Loans Be Issued Under the "єОселя" Program?
Data from the Ukrfinzhitlo report shows that in 2024, thanks to the government program for preferential lending "єОселя," developers sold housing worth 4.84 billion UAH, reports the "LUN Misto" project. In this context, 24.6% of the total amount of loans issued under the program was allocated for the purchase of ready apartments from developers, while 8.6% of the total amount was for the acquisition of property rights to housing under construction.
"In total, last year, according to Ukrfinzhitlo, 8515 preferential mortgage loans were issued under the єОселя program. Of these, 2803 transactions were concluded on the primary market (ready housing from developers and property rights to housing that is still under construction), which constitutes almost a third (32.9%) of the total number of loans issued under the program. If we compare the data from LUN and Ukrfinzhitlo, we can conclude that in 2024, "єОселя" helped developers sell 2.8 thousand apartments of varying degrees of readiness. This accounts for 11.5% of the total number of transactions for housing sold by developers," states the "LUN Misto" study.
Data from the Ukrfinzhitlo report shows that in 2024, thanks to the government program for preferential lending "єОселя," developers sold housing worth 4.84 billion UAH.
Forecasts for 2025 regarding the government program remain quite optimistic. In fact, Ukrfinzhitlo plans to increase the share of financing for the acquisition of property rights to housing under construction to 40-60% of the total number of transactions. This means the main focus, according to specialists, will be on newly constructed apartments. Experts from "LUN Misto" believe it is quite plausible to assume that this year the share of preferential loans issued for the acquisition of property rights to apartments under construction will rise to 20-40%.
"Most likely, this year will see a substantial reorientation of cash flows—the lion's share of funds will go to developers who participate in the program and can offer Ukrainians both ready apartments in new buildings (30-50% of the provided preferential loans) and property rights to apartments (20-40%) that are still under construction. Meanwhile, the number of transactions in the secondary market will gradually decline (to 50% and below)," the specialists from "LUN Misto" concluded.