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FEATURED PROPERTIES
FOR RENT

1 ROOMS

Podolskaya 17

contemporary studio

1200 USD/month

Make inquiry

ROOMS

Vladimirski 1

STUDIO, 2 levels the best location

1950 USD/month

Make inquiry

FEATURED PROPERTIES FOR RENT 3 ROOMS Marata 66 green nice court yard stylish, center 1500 USD/month Make inquiry

Useful information and advice

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Rental price varies based on location, level of renovation and building type. To learn more about pricing in detail on the St. Petersburg market, please refer to our Rental Market Overview section.

Your personal real estate manager should take you on a number of viewings of apartments that match your requirements. It is best to view up to 4 or 5 apartments per day - if you try to see more than this amount you start forgetting details and all the apartments tend to blur together. Your real estate manager will provide you with transport which makes viewings much easier. When you view an apartment, make sure to check the bathrooms, kitchens and storage space in detail. Also, check what type of hot water the apartment has. Many apartments in Moscow and St. Petersburg have gas, hot water furnaces. They are quite useful because the centralized hot water is turned off for 1 month in the summer for pipe repairs - so with a gas furnace, you always have water!

Our agency charges a commission equal to one month's rent for completing a successful transaction. We do not charge for showings or for transportation - only for success. This is the usual market rate. Also, we do not receive any payments from landlords, meaning that we are always negotiating with the client's interests in mind. We can substantially lower our commission if we have signed a frame agreement with a corporate client. To learn more about signing corporate agreements and the benefits, please contact us.

Our real estate managers have been in the business for many years and have excellent experience with negotiations between potential tenants and landlords. When it comes to price negotiations or any type of negotiations, we recommend that these be conducted between the landlord and representative of our agency. Our agents are frequently successful at bringing down the rental price for our clients.

Rent is typically paid in Russia on a monthly or a quarterly basis. In some rare cases, rents may be paid 6 months in advance in order to lower the monthly rental price but unless you or the agency knows the landlord quite well, we do not suggest putting so much money up front.

A security deposit is usually required by the landlord to cover potential damage above the usual wear and tear over the rental period. The deposit is always equal to 1 month's rent or a lesser amount and should be returned to the client after the rental period is over minus any agreed upon deductions for damage to the premises.

As mentioned earlier. Many apartments in Moscow and St. Petersburg have centralized hot water. This is very convenient throughout most of the year, however, usually for 1 month in the summer, the hot water is turned off for pipe repairs. To get around this, it is good to ask the landlord to install a small, electric water boiler that can be used during these periods. Even better, if the apartment has a gas, water furnace. This can be used year round and usually produces good, hot water. Be sure to ask the landlord how to properly use it when you move in.

It is usual for the tenant to only pay for electricity and long distance phone calls. Payments for water, State rental fees and taxes, gas and local telephone usage are usually paid for by the landlord. It is also best if the landlord can help the tenant make electricity and phone payments, please ask them or your agent about this. Sometimes making payments in Russia can be a tiring experience.

By law, landlords are required to pay personal income tax on their rental earnings (currently 13%). Of course, not all landlords do this. So, if you require that rental payments be made officially through Russian banks, it is typical for the landlord to ask that the tenant to pay his or her (the landlord's) income tax. The landlord typically wants to receive the net, asking price, so if the asked for price of the apartment is $1000 per month and the tenant would like to make all payments officially, there is a good chance that they will be asked by the landlord to pay $1150 ($1000 / (1-0.13)). The landlord typically has the leverage to ask this because he or she can usually find another tenant willing to pay him or her $1000 per month in cash.

Most apartments in Russia are uninsured. It is highly unlikely that the landlord will insure his or her apartment specially for the tenant although this may be possible if the apartment is an elite property and the landlord is asking a substantial rental price (usually above $3000). Insurance prices are usually equal to between 0.5% and 1% of the apartment replacement cost.

It goes without saying that it is always good to have good relations with your landlord. Especially with long term rentals, there are small problems (usually of technical and connected with renovation or problems with equipment) that may occur over the rental period. If you have a friendly relationship with your landlord, it is much easier to solve these things. We are not exactly suggesting that you should become drinking buddies but its always good to take the time out to get to know them a little. If you do experience problems with the landlord for whatever reason, you can always ask the real estate manager from City Realty who helped you with the transaction for help with resolution. We are always on hand to help you so don't be shy. This is one of the advantages to working with us.

We at City Realty are always on hand to answer your questions or to give you advice throughout your stay in the city. We have already helped lots of our tenants find schools or dance or art classes for their children, made recommendations on topics ranging from restaurants to legal help! Again, don't be shy, we are here to make you feel at home in St. Petersburg or Moscow.