In Belarus, the terms for granting citizens preferential loans for housing construction are being clarified

9 January, Minsk /BELTA/. Conditions for granting citizens preferential loans for housing construction are being specified in Belarus. The corresponding Decree No. 13 "On certain issues of providing state support to citizens for the construction (reconstruction) or acquisition of residential premises" was signed by the head of state Alexander Lukashenko on January 6, BELTA was informed by the press service of the Belarusian leader. "In order to optimize preferential lending for housing construction and related budget expenditures, the decree establishes refined conditions for granting preferential loans to citizens," the press service informed. Thus, the right to receive preferential loans is retained for citizens from among those with large families (priority right); residing in residential premises recognized as unfit for habitation in the established manner (priority right); residing in dormitories for at least ten years, who, including jointly residing family members and separately residing spouses, do not own residential premises, including those located in other settlements of the Republic of Belarus (priority right); citizens whose families include children with disabilities, as well as disabled persons since childhood of groups I and II (priority right); those who have fallen ill and suffered radiation sickness caused by the consequences of the Chernobyl NPP disaster (priority right); those entitled to priority receipt of social housing from the state housing fund.

The right to receive preferential loans is also retained for veterans of combat operations in the territory of other states; those constructing (reconstructing) or acquiring residential premises in settlements with a population of up to 20 thousand people; able-bodied adult family members of a tenant of state-owned social housing in the event of their death or relocation to another dwelling, who do not have state-owned housing at their disposal under a lease agreement or own another dwelling in the given settlement with a total area of 15 sq. m or more (in Minsk - 10 sq. m or more) per person; adult family members of a deceased (killed, declared missing) tenant of state-owned service housing; adult young citizens who are laureates of the Special Fund of the President of the Republic of Belarus for the Social Support of Gifted Pupils and Students and/or the Special Fund of the President for the Support of Talented Youth; talented young scientists who have been awarded scholarships of the President; judges and prosecutors; young families with two minor children.

For military personnel, the right to receive preferential loans is retained under the conditions established by Decree No. 195 of April 3, 2008.

The provision of preferential loans is planned for 20 years at an interest rate equal to 20% of the refinancing rate of the National Bank (currently 8%), but not less than 5% per annum (for citizens residing and working in settlements with a population of up to 20 thousand people, - 10% of the refinancing rate of the National Bank, but not less than 3% per annum).

For young families with two minor children, loans will be issued for 20 years at an interest rate equal to 50% of the refinancing rate of the National Bank.

For large families, the terms for providing preferential loans remain the same - for 40 years at 1% per annum. In this case, a subsidy will not be issued, and the loan amount will be 100% of the cost of the norm for preferentially loanable area.

The Decree provides for an increase in the amount of financial assistance provided to large families for the repayment of preferential loans: from 50% to 75% of the outstanding loan balance for families with three minor children, and from 70% to 100% for families with four children, as well as priority inclusion of large families with four or more children in housing construction cooperatives.

The document also grants a deferral of loan repayment and interest payments for families in which one parent is on childcare leave for the second and subsequent children up to three years of age, for the duration of such leave.

When calculating the loan amount in accordance with the new conditions, the area of residential premises owned (disposed of within three years) by the borrower and their family members will be deducted not only in the locality of the borrower's residence and the place of housing construction, but also in all other localities of the republic. In addition, the standard for preferentially loanable area in Minsk has been reduced from 20 to 15 sq.m, except for large families, for whom this standard remains at 20 sq.m.

In order to ensure the completion of housing construction, the decree extends the new lending conditions to citizens only for newly concluded loan agreements. At the same time, the amounts of already opened credit lines for categories of citizens who lose the right to receive preferential loans will not be revised (regardless of the increase in construction costs).

The lending rate, taking into account the refinancing rate of the National Bank, will be determined on the date of approval of the lists for preferential loans, which will equalize the conditions for citizen borrowers building residential premises in the same house.

The provisions of the current Decree No. 185 do not apply to citizens included in the lists for preferential loans but who have not managed to conclude loan agreements with the bank.-0-

BELTA