«Today, 542,000 families, half a million, are registered in the country as needing improved housing conditions. All of them hope to receive the keys to a house or apartment as soon as possible,» the head of state said. At the same time, this also concerns those who have housing but may need additional square meters.

In this connection, the president recalled the tasks set for the five-year period. The emphasis is shifting towards rental housing, which should become the main instrument for resolving the housing issue and staffing tasks. «Rental housing is provided by an enterprise or another authority, if that is stipulated. This is economically sound and convenient for people, especially young professionals,» Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.

The head of state recalled that in 2026-2030 «plans are in place to build 6.5 million square meters of housing with state support, of which 5 million will be rental.» «Our priorities haven’t changed: the cost per meter must not exceed the average monthly salary, and construction deadlines must comply with the regulations. Regarding quality, we must make sure that people can just move into their new house or apartment and live there right away,» the Belarusian leader said.

At the same time, supervisory authorities note systemic shortcomings in construction planning and financing, and also in the subsequent use of rental housing. The president turned to the most pressing issues.

On rental housing construction linked to workplaces

Aleksandr Lukashenko stated that new apartments are built not to meet real demand but to fulfil assigned targets. «A catastrophe, isn’t it? At the same time, the regions sometimes complain that not only is there no need for construction, but there is also no financing for it. It turns out that Grodno Oblast or Mogilev Oblast does not need housing, but someone is imposing the construction of this housing on them,» he said.

«People were promised apartments tied to workplaces. That is probably what rental housing is all about,» the president emphasized.

Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed to positive examples of this approach. They exist in Petrikov (Belaruskali), Rudensk (BNBC), Turov (Turov Dairy Plant), Vitebsk (Vitebsk Broiler Factory) and a number of other settlements.

He also noted that with the entry into force of Decree No. 344 «On Subsidizing Legal Entities in the Construction or Acquisition of Residential Premises» on 1 January 2025, the process became more active. «Some enterprises have started building separate apartments for their workers. But there are few of them too: 153 in 2025. What do we need to resolve so that this practice becomes more widespread?» the president posed the question to the participants of the meeting.

The head of state outlined some steps needed to address these issues. This concerns creating a transparent system for recording citizens who wish to receive rental housing, so as to build in a targeted way. «Suppose a person works at MAZ, is registered, is ready to receive rental housing and live there. We must see such people; it is important for us,» he said.

Another step is building housing with an emphasis on small settlements and in exactly the quantity needed for the development of the oblast’s economy. Moreover, as Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized, before laying the foundation of any multi-apartment building, it is necessary to clearly determine the sources of financing: «Before starting to do anything, you need to see where the money is coming from.»

He also drew attention to the need for broader involvement of real-sector enterprises, using their own and borrowed resources to address the housing issues of their employees. «This is not only budget money. The enterprise must also invest its own money,» the head of state added.