Deputies are concerned with the housing quality for the military.
The State Duma considers providing the military with suitable and spacious housing rather than mere "square meters."
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to St Petersburg's Novaya Izhora district became a certain impulse for this issue. A wonderful cottage village for officers was constructed there, but it was not occupied due to legislation restrictions. According to the Housing Code, the Defense Ministry's housing fund can only consist of apartments. The army cannot build or buy cottages for its personnel. Deputies intend to abolish this injustice.
The Duma's corresponding committee decided to add a special provision to Article 24 of the Housing Code stipulating that officers, warrant officers, and contract soldiers could be provided with housing in low-storey buildings. Land plots that the buildings stand on will be granted free use. Those waiting for permanent housing will also be provided with small houses or cottages. They will receive the ownership of both the house and, pending the decision of the federal execution body, of a 600 square meter plot of land.
"The Defense Ministry is building up its housing stock. That is why it has become necessary to amend the housing legislation and to stipulate the possibility of providing low-storey housing," chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee Viktor Zavarzin explained to Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
The Duma deputies are likely to go beyond simply amending the Housing Code. Martin Shakkum, chairman of the State Duma Committee for Construction and Land Relations, said that the deputies were ready to amend the laws on the status of military personnel and on military mortgage. If deputies support the initiative, the floorage excess limit for military personnel's permanent housing may be increased from the current 9 to 16 square meters. Housing is built under various projects, and that is why the space of the provided housing rarely coincides with the number of new occupants. The law provides for a certain "clearance" for this case and the deputies decided to increase it.
"This will allow providing a dwelling with an area of 70 square meters for a family of three people for free," Martin Shakkum added.
If the flooring space or the area of a land plot does not fall into the new regulations, the candidate will be able to choose whether he will wait for another more suitable apartment or pay for excess square meters. Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov told our correspondent that the payments would not be too burdensome for the military personnel since they would be calculated from the price at which the ministry bought the housing.
"Let us imagine that a family is entitled to an apartment with an area of 70 square meters and there is one with 85 square meters available. If the officer can pay for the extra 15 meters – then why not?" the minister explained.
Finally, deputies intend to expand military mortgages. Lieutenants currently can use the loans to buy an apartment or a house. When the law is amended, they will also be able to buy the plot of land that the house stands on.
Yury Gavrilov