Kiev Rental Guide

Renting an apartment long-term in Kiev without knowledge can be a time consuming and expensive process. Within the sphere of apartment rentals, there are always expensive and less expensive options. To assist you in making the right decision, we’ve put together this article to help you navigate through the market and find what is best for you and your budget.

Searching online with terms such as “apartments for rent in Kiev” will often misguide you towards websites that deal only with daily and weekly rental rates (short-term durations). This may suffice for visitors staying in Kiev for a few days or a couple of weeks and serves as a great alternative to paying for highly expensive hotels. However, if you intend to remain in Kiev for a minimum of 6 months or longer, then All Star Kiev Realty specializes in providing long-term apartment housing solutions for expatriates, foreign diplomats, as well as comprehensive corporate solutions to house multiple staff members.

Without question, the least expensive way to rent an apartment/flat in Kiev is by contacting the property owner directly. However, this approach is quite difficult as most property owners will list their property for rent with real estate agencies. Many of these property owners are unable to speak English. They also do not want to deal with the hassles of advertising, talking on the phone, and answering various questions. Therefore, in practice, almost all property owners utilize local real estate agencies.

In addition, by contacting a professional real estate agency, you can be assured that only real, currently available properties that match your requirements will be offered. It can save you a significant amount of time compared to searching online on your own through various real estate websites. Doing so on your own, you'll soon realize that 90% of the listings posted online are fake. The listing will either be rented already or posted with deceptive pricing (prices will be much lower than the real ones). Many underhanded agencies post such listings to attract potential clients.

Furthermore, as far as payment for real estate services, a one-time only service fee (50% of the monthly rent amount) is paid to the real estate agency by the renter or the landlord, depending upon which side the agency represents. This service fee includes the drafting of all contracts and settling specific negotiable terms, such as preferred furniture (furnished or unfurnished), utility payments, residence permit, etc. Within real estate in Kiev, the term "commission" is more commonly used than "service fee."

You should generally expect to sign a 12 month lease agreement. You will pay two months’ rent in advance (for the first month of rent as well as the security deposit). If you are not looking for a year-long agreement, you should make sure that the contract contains a clause that states that early termination is permissible, with a specified advance notice (usually 30 days).