Five Stories About How Apartments Were Obtained in the USSR and Why They Weren't Free

Today, owning real estate is incredibly expensive. But how was the situation with housing during the Soviet era?

Having your own home has always been a cherished dream for many. Older generations often criticize younger family members for rushing to leave the family nest and "paying rent to strangers when they could save for their own apartment." Unfortunately, even the smallest living spaces today come with exorbitant price tags, and not everyone dares to take on a mortgage.

Some fortunate people inherited apartments from relatives who lived during the USSR. According to official Soviet statistics, residential construction was progressing at a rate of 0.4 square meters per person annually. However, acquiring a coveted apartment was not straightforward.

The USSR lacked a housing market as we know it today. Yet, starting in the 1950s, housing cooperatives emerged, allowing people to join and purchase apartments through installment plans rather than typical mortgages. Housing prices varied across the country. For instance, during the 1970s and 1980s, a one-room apartment cost between $5,500 and $6,000, while a three-room apartment was around $10,000. With average salaries ranging from $150 to $200, only about 10% of the population could afford such purchases.

Pavel from the Moscow region recalls that his parents joined such a cooperative in the mid-1980s in Balashikha: "The initial contribution was quite high—$3,000 to $4,000, and monthly payments were about $50. They had to borrow the initial amount from relatives. Later, my parents received a three-room apartment of about 60–65 square meters for our family of three."

Most citizens received apartments through waiting lists, but there were nuances. To qualify, one had to prove that the living space per family member was less than 9 square meters. This method was commonly used by young families with children. On average, the process took about 6–7 years across the USSR.

Peter from the Krasnodar region shares: "My parents, as young specialists, immediately got a room in a dormitory after university. When I was born, they received a one-room apartment near work. After my sister was born, they got a two-room apartment. So, within five years after graduation, young doctors lived comfortably in a two-room apartment."

However, there were unfortunate incidents as well. Irina from Moscow recounts that in the late 1970s, her mother was granted a two-room apartment from a major military-industrial enterprise, but was removed from the waiting list after neighbors falsely reported that their family owned half a house. No one investigated their living conditions, and her mother had to appeal to the prosecutor's office to restore her rights.

"She was very worried she wouldn’t make it in time, and when it turned out she did, she became seriously ill from joy," says Irina. "The apartment was on the fifth floor without an elevator, with crooked walls and drafty windows, a used gas stove, barely warm radiators in winter, and hot water only six months a year. Heating was provided strictly from October 15 to April 15, regardless of actual weather. That was our Soviet happiness in forty square meters."

Another way to obtain housing was by working for an enterprise that built homes for its employees. This often shortened the waiting period to as little as two years. Meanwhile, public sector workers had to queue through local administrations, sometimes waiting over ten years. Choosing the city, neighborhood, or specific building was not an option.

However, it would be incorrect to say that apartments were free. They were not privately owned but rented socially: they could not be gifted, sold, or inherited. Yet, residents could register themselves and others, and unofficial exchanges with additional payments were common. Upon a tenant's death, the apartment was transferred to another family member, or if none existed, reverted to the state.

Galina from Kursk shares that she received an apartment in 1979, a year after graduating university, after being assigned to another city. By law, young specialists were entitled to housing within three years. "Upon arriving in Dzhezkazgan (a regional center in Kazakhstan), I was given a dormitory place and a year later a one-room apartment. After completing the required three years, I used a housing exchange to return to Kursk."

There was also another option. In some Soviet cities, youth residential complexes were built where young professionals temporarily left their jobs to help construct homes, while maintaining continuous employment records.

This practice began in the 1960s in the Moscow suburb of Korolyov, a science city attracting top graduates eager to advance space science but lacking housing. The Komsomol approved construction by future residents themselves. Initially, funding came from enterprises and later from the state planning committee. At that time, construction work was prestigious, and every worker anticipated moving into their own apartment.

Vladislav from the Moscow region recalls that by the 1980s, housing construction "stalled," leaving many on waiting lists in limbo. However, there was an opportunity to receive a land plot and build a house, as Vladislav’s wife’s sister did:

"She built a home for herself, her husband, and two children on a small plot just three streets from her parents' house. It’s important to note that her husband sustained a workplace injury and became visually impaired. He was assigned a disability group and assembled parts at home. It’s very likely that his disability and related benefits enabled them to obtain the land and build the house."

Photo credits: Alexander Gordievich, Vladimir Yatsina, Oleg Ivanov, Viktor Velikzhanin, Anatoly Rukhadze, Vasily Egorov, Alexey Stuzhin, Viktor Koshevoy, Boris Kavashkin, Sergey Metelitsa, Vitaly Sozinov, Alexander Chumichev/ITAR-TASS

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