The government is considering whether it is mandatory to equip new apartments with furniture. The Ministry of Industry and Trade supports this initiative, the press service of the department reported. However, experts disagree on how much this will be in demand by buyers.
The Association of Furniture and Woodworking Industry Enterprises of Russia made a proposal to make the furnishing of standard-class apartments mandatory. According to Izvestia, Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramchenko instructed the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to consider this initiative.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade notes that furniture in this case will be cheaper for a resident, since the developer buys it at wholesale prices. In addition, newcomers will have the opportunity to move into apartments that are ready to move in. The Russian furniture industry will cope with this task, the department emphasizes: the volume of furniture production in January-July 2021 increased by 36% compared to the same period a year ago. A number of the largest developers are independently implementing similar projects. However, the decision whether this option will be mandatory for developers remains in the competence of the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Industry and Trade noted. The press service of the Ministry of Construction did not respond to RG’s request.
In the projects of some developers, furnished apartments already occupy up to 24%, says Nadezhda Korkka, managing partner of Metrium. The buyer can choose a standard or improved kitchen set with household appliances, as well as a swing or sliding wardrobe. The difference in the price of an empty and furnished apartment is from 143 thousand rubles (if only wardrobes are chosen) to 684 thousand rubles (with improved kitchen furniture).
“In Russia, people are used to making repairs on their own. Someone hires a designer, a team of finishers, someone does it themselves,” says Iskander Yusupov, deputy general director of Unistroy. Housing with decoration and furniture is chosen either by investors or by families who move out from their parents, sell their apartment and they need to move immediately, he notes. Apartments with furniture are in demand if they are purchased for lease, for example, as resort real estate, says Daria Osadchaya, head of the brand and communications management department of the Monolit Group.
Furniture production increased by 36%
More complete sets – not only kitchens and wardrobes, but all furniture, including ottomans – are rarely offered by developers. There will be no great demand for fully furnished housing, it is not necessary to make this a prerequisite, says Nadezhda Kosareva, president of the Institute for Urban Economics Foundation.
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