Legalization of apartment or non-residential property alterations

Documents required for legalization of alterations in Kyiv

Apartment alteration is a set of specific actions aimed at changing the structural parameters of a residential premises. One of its types is reconstruction, which involves changing the geometric characteristics of rooms, their merging, or expanding the total area at the expense of another apartment. Reconstruction, in turn, also has its types:

1. Reconstruction of the premises without changing the geometric parameters of the object. This is a classic apartment alteration, in which you cannot change its total area, but living and other areas may increase or decrease at the expense of each other.
2. Reconstruction of an apartment with changes to the object’s geometric parameters. This alteration requires obtaining a design permit – urban planning conditions and restrictions. To obtain it you must first develop a preliminary project and carry out urban planning calculations, which require additional funds.

Both types of reconstruction require the development of an apartment re-planning project (reconstruction project), opening of construction (First declaration), as well as closing the construction (Second declaration). The only difference is the need for additional processing of urban planning conditions, and this procedure is rather complicated. In the second case, you also need to reissue all legal documents and notify certain government services about the increase in the apartment’s total area.

Possible methods of re-planning and reconstructing an apartment

Before starting the planning of repair and construction works, it will be useful to familiarize yourself with the legislative and regulatory framework that regulates these issues, namely SNiP and DBN. There you will find a detailed description of permitted and prohibited actions. If we highlight the main points, then citizens of Ukraine according to SNiP and DBN may:

• Increase room areas at the expense of entrance halls, internal apartment corridors, built-in storage rooms and closets.
• Combine bathrooms in separate apartments, regardless of the number of living rooms (at your discretion).
• Combine the electrified kitchen and the living room into one room.

Not allowed:

• Place kitchens and toilets or bathrooms above or below living premises.
• Construction, expansion, insulation and glazing of existing balconies and loggias.
• Construction of new window and balcony openings or enlargement of existing ones.
• Changing the shape and color of window frames and balcony doors.

If you wish to change the appearance and configuration of the apartment, you need to obtain urban planning conditions and restrictions before planning and implementing the project. Then, comply with the conditions provided by the DBN. They state that if you want to make an extension or superstructure, it must be done so as not to violate the architecture of the building as a whole. Each side of the building is a certain composition that cannot be complemented by a single detail (a superstructure or extension). Suppose the building is symmetrical, then you need to preserve this symmetry. This means that if you make a superstructure or extension on one part of the building, you must repeat it on the other side. When obtaining urban planning conditions, you will need to convince the local architecture authority that your changes will not disrupt the harmony of the building’s appearance.

If you have any questions, you can contact the specialists of the company “Nakaz” at any convenient time. We will be happy to provide you with a more detailed consultation taking into account the specifics of your case, and, if desired, prepare all the necessary documents.