FAQ

If you lease/rent and an apartment or a cottage for the first time, You might have got many questions, which require qualified answers. We are ready to answer any of your questions on lease of apartments and cottages in Moscow and nearest Moscow region. We would also be glad to show Moscow’s places of interest, central streets and districts to the guests of the capital. If you didn’t manage to find the answer to your question in our website, don’t hesitate to ask your questions in our forum or just call us at +7 (495) 411 9932.


Question?

Q 1: How to rent an apartment in Moscow?

Q 2: How should the Lease Agreement be formed in Moscow?

Q 3: What is the difference between "Dogovor Arendy" and "Dogovor Nayma" (in English it sounds just the same - Lease Agreement)?

Q 4: What documents are to be presented by the Landlord (owner of the apartment, cottage) and the Tenant when signing the Lease agreement?

Q 5: Rent.

Q 6: Payments for utilities and other payment.

Q 7: Insurance deposit

Q 8: Early termination of Lease Agreement.

Q 9: Temporary registration in Moscow.

Q 10: How to evaluate the apartment offered for rent?

Q 11: Deposit. Terms of giving the deposit

Q 12: To buy or not to buy furniture to the apartment, you are going to rent?

Q 13: How to lease an apartment?


Answer:

Q 1: How to rent an apartment in Moscow?

 

A 1: In spite of the fact that there is a great amount of apartments on the market, it is quite difficult to find an ideal or just appropriate variant.

How can you find an apartment on your own?

First of all you can begin searching among your friends and relatives. If you don’t care about the condition of the apartment you can hope that you will have luck.

The situation becomes complicated, because the circle of you acquaintance is limited. Meanwhile your demands increase and according to the theory of probability you will have very little chance to find an apartment in this way.

The second variant is to give an advertisement in special editions or Internet. If you want your telephone to be burst from calls – go ahead! The matter is that there will be few calls from true owners of apartments. But then you will be defeated by “informational agencies” and black brokers. You will suffer from their “unobtrusive service” for a long time, even when you decide your housing question.

The third variant is to study on your own all advertisements about lease of apartments in special editions.

Do not forget that your ultimate aim is not only to find a nice flat, but to live there without problems and troubles during the whole lease term.

Even if you lease your apartment not for the first time, you do not suspect of hidden dangers, existing on the real estate market.

Value your time and money! Appeal to professionals, who will not only find appropriate variants for you in the shortest possible time, but will also provide your confidentiality and a safety deal.

The policy of serious companies is to provide their clients with the current status of the market. Professional real estate agencies have their own data bases of offers and have access to offers of other real estate agencies. Before offering a real estate object to the future Tenant, the specialists of the agency will view it, make photos, and check up all the documents.

Not going out from the house or office, you can see the photos of apartments and cottages in the site and receive by e-mail a professionally prepared section of offers with detailed description and photos. And when you choose most appropriate variants, you just have to set a convenient term for viewings. Your agent will coordinate the term with the owners of the apartments or their representatives and make a logical scheme. If necessary the agency will provide you with a car with a professional driver.

When working with a serious real estate company, You can count on its support not only during the negotiations, drawing up and assignment of the Lease Agreement, but also during postsale service.

Let search of your flat be pleasant and comfortable and living there won’t be saddened by any troubles during the whole lease term.

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Q 2: How should the Lease Agreement be formed in Moscow?

 

A 2: The Lease agreement is concluded between the landlord and the tenant, one for each part, with the help of a real estate agency. It is drawn up in duplicate, which have the same force.

As a rule, a landlord and a future tenant have their own agents, who are engaged in drawing up the agreement. Each agency has its standard sample of the lease agreement. Lease agreements of different companies can greatly differ from each other. That’s why we recommend you to read attentively the draft of the contract, offered to you, in order to make sure that it completely defends your interests.

Usually the agent of a future tenant takes the initiative of drawing up of the agreement. And the agent of the landlord makes his corrections and additions. The Lease agreement requires no notarial protestation. The agreement has a legal power at once after it has been signed by both parts.

If one part doesn’t master Russian, the Lease agreement is made in two languages. But in case of dividing, the version in Russian has predominantly a legal power.

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Q 3: What is the difference between "Dogovor Arendy" and "Dogovor Nayma" (in English it sounds just the same - Lease Agreement)?

 

A 3: “Dogovor Nayma” ( Lease Agreement) is concluded between two physical persons.

“Dogovor Arendy” (Lease Agreement) is concluded between a physical person and a juridicial person (company). In accordance with current legislation of the Russian Federation, income-tax in rate of 13 % from the sum of monthly rent is transfered to the budget of the Russian Federation by the Tenant (juridicial person). Except for cases, when the Landlord is registered as individual entrepreneur. In this case the Landlord transfers 6 % income-tax to the budget on hisown.

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Q 4: What documents are to be presented by the Landlord (owner of the apartment, cottage) and the Tenant when signing the Lease agreement?

 

A 4: When signing the Lease agreement the Landlord (owner of the apartment, cottage) shall present the original documents, confirming his ownership right. They are the following: a Certificate of the Right on the ownership and the agreement on base of which this Certificate was given (Purchase and Sale Agreement, Barter Agreement, Gift Agreement, Transfer Agreement and so on). Copies of these documents are to be enclosed with the Lease agreement and be its integral part.

If an apartment or a cottage belongs to several owners, it is necessary to show the written agreement of all owners confirmed and signed by a notary or just their presence during the mating. It is also important to have the same agreement of all people being registrated in the apartment or in a cottage. The information about all registrated persons can be received in a state company serving the building and located not far from it.

A tenant (physical person who rents an apartment or a cottage) shows his passport data. The copy of a passport is enclosed with the Lease agreement. For checking of the Tenant solvency it is used only information about the work place of the Tenant.

A Lessee (juridical person who rents an apartment or a cottage for residence of his employee or employees) gives all invoices, including juridical addresses of companies, the details of bank account and also passport data of people for whom this dwelling is rented.

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Q 5: Rent.

 

A 5: Rent payment is fixed by the owner of the apartment according to the current state of the market, as a rule, in dollar equivalent (sometimes in rubles or euro).

By the assignment of the agreement the Tenant usually pays for the first month of living and also the insurance deposit, which is equal to one moth rent payment. Further payments are made in advance every month not later then the date, fixed in the agreement.

There are also by quarter payment, sometimes prepayment for six months and in rare cases payment for 1 year in advance (in these cases rent payment is greatly reduced).

Payment is made in cash or by bank transfer. Recently it has appeared a tendency to cashless settlement.

Initially offered rental price is not usually the final. During negotiations it can be greatly changed.

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Q 6: Payments for utilities and other payment.

 

A 6: Rent payment in Moscow includes all communal fees, except for electricity, long-distance and international calls, Internet, satellite and cable TV.

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Q 7: Insurance deposit

 

A 7: Insurance deposit is the standard condition of Lease agreement. In ordinary cases it is equal to monthly rent payment. Deposit is the owner's insurance against possible damage, debts of rent payments and non-payment of bills for long-distance and international calls.

On completing of term of Lease the Landlord returns the insurance deposit to the Tenant, exception with the coordinated sum of damage of the apartment, furnish and equipment, if any damage has been caused through the fault or carelessness of the Tenant or/and members of his family, guests or pets. Natural wear is not taken into account.

Specialists of NEW TERRA Сompany do not reccomend to the Landlords to use the Insurance deposit as the last month rent payment.

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Q 8: Early termination of Lease Agreement.

 

A 8: Lease agreement can be cancelled ahead of schedule in the following cases: If one part does not keep the terms of the agreement In case of force majeur On the initiative of one part with preliminary written notification of the opposite part 30 days before (or other term, coordinated and specified in the Lease agreement). In the last case in the Lease agreement penalty sanctions are specified for the part, on the initiative of which the early termination is taken place.

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Q 9: Temporary registration in Moscow.

 

A 9: According to Moscow laws every person living in Moscow is to have temporary or permanent registration at the address of one’s residence during 3 working days from the moment of the arrival in Moscow.

To make the registration the owner of the apartment is to fill in and sign a standard application form and attest it in Passport and Maintenance Service Office. The application form is filled in for each person, requiring registration. The Tenant is to provide passport data, number and period of validity of the visa.

Registration of extra persons in the apartment will increase communal payments. The specialist of Passport and Maintenance Service Office will write out a receipt for the appropriate increase for the whole period of registration. After the receipt has been paid the application is attested and registered. The Tenant usually takes upon himself the expenses for increase of communal payments for the period of registration. Lease agreement is not required in Passport and Maintenance Service Office.

After getting the attested application from the owner of the apartment, foreign citizens pass it together with the passport and visa to the organization, which has invited them to Russia. This organization (employer, tour agency) will complete permanent registration in Moscow.

You can always count on the help of specialists of NEW TERRA company in any questions, concerning temporary registration in Moscow.

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Q 10: How to evaluate the apartment offered for rent?

 

A 10: Rental price depends on many details, of which an amateur doesn’t even suspect. Many landlords falsely think that good location, number of rooms, total square and quality of renovation are the main components, when fixing the rental price.

As a matter of fact a professional real estate adviser can name dozens (!) of factors, which have influence on the price. And some of these factors can change the rental price by 20-30%.

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Q 11: Deposit. Terms of giving the deposit

 

A 11: A Deposit is a sum of money, given by the future Tenant, in order to guarantee the fulfillment of the terms of signing Lease agreement.

Deposit agreement is to be done in written form and be signed by both parts (it doesn’t depend on the sum of the deposit). The sum of the deposit and the term, till which the sides are to conclude Lease agreement, are fixed in the Deposit agreement. If the Lease agreement is not concluded until the fixed date through the future Tenant’s fault, the Landlord remains with the total sum of the deposit. If the Lease agreement is not concluded through the Landlord’s fault, the Landlord returns to the Tenant double deposit.

The amount of the deposit is fixed according to rental price and number of days till signing the Lease agreement.

If you are really interested in renting an apartment, specialists of NEW TERRA company recommend the future Tenants to give the maximum possible deposit.

Unfortunately, even the deposit doesn’t stop some landlords from further showings. A deposit of 100-200 USD doesn’t guarantee that the Landlord will prefer you to another client, who is able to pay 50 USD more for his apartment. In the total annual sum it will bring the Landlord some extra hundred dollars, even except for the returned double deposit.

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Q 12: To buy or not to buy furniture to the apartment, you are going to rent?

 

A 12: Apartments with several bedrooms most often are rented without furniture. Such apartments are usually rented by embassy employees and specialists of foreign companies, coming to Moscow, on contract job, for long term (3 years and more) with the family. Most embassies and representative offices pay costs for the transportation of furniture and belongings of their employees. If you want a foreigner to rent your apartment, don’t be in a hurry to buy furniture. In any case you can always buy furniture according to clients’ wish. Built-ins closet are always welcomed in big unfurnished apartments.

One,- two,- three-room apartments are usually rented furnished or partly furnished.

For all apartments there is one common requirement - there might be a built-in kitchen.

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Q 13: How to lease an apartment?

 

A 13: If you want to lease an apartment, first of all you should ask yourself several questions. And only after getting affirmative answers on them, you can act.

1st question: do you have another apartment, where you can feel at home and you won’t have to give up your habits and regular life?

2nd question: do you realize that in your apartment will be living foreign people and you will have to accept all consequences of their living there?

3rd question: won’t the lease of apartment shatter your sound sleep? Won’t you have nightmares about fires and floods that can happen in you apartment?

4th question: do you have enough money to make a quality renovation of the apartment you are going to lease? These are: repair works, purchase of new furniture.

5th question: are you ready to fix an appropriate price of your apartment according to the current situation on the real estate market?

There is one more important thing, you should take into consideration. You should be ready to waste much time on showing your apartment. Don’t get upset in case of refusal from possible tenants and keep cool.

If finally you have decided to lease your apartment, then go ahead. You can try to lease it on your own. Also you can apply to a professional real estate consultant.

Everybody wants to save money. The cost of service of a real estate agency in Moscow is on average 50% from the monthly rent payment. Some owners of apartment think that they can avoid these costs. But it is quite the contrary. A real estate company has a well thought-out technology: it has good advertising and cooperates with various companies.

If you have decided to apply to a real estate agency, you might ask, what agency to choose. The more real estate agencies will offer your apartment, the less chances it has to be rented.

Today’s real estate market is quiet transparent and consolidated. If your apartment appears in one agency, all other leading agencies will get at once the information about it.

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