ArmInfo.In the next 10-12 years, the Armenian authorities will spend about 700-800 billion drams to implement a program to support the provision of housing to families forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. The details of the program were presented by the coordinator of individual functions of the structural divisions of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Gayane Karagyozyan.
According to her, the program consists of three components. One component is the acquisition of an apartment or private house through the issuance of a certificate, the second is the issuance of a certificate for the construction of a private house, the third is the repayment of a mortgage loan.
The amount of financial assistance does not depend on the component and is determined by the locality chosen by the program beneficiary where he plans to purchase/build housing. Thus, in the case of the acquisition/construction of housing in any of the 242 settlements approved by the government (Goris in Syunik, Berd in Tavush, etc.), the amount of assistance for each family member, including a minor, will be 5 million drams, and if chosen places of residence from the list of 148 settlements (Vardenis, Noyemberan, Kapan, Kajaran, etc.) funding will amount to 4 million drams. In all settlements, including Yerevan (with the exception of the first and second zones), the amount of assistance will be 3 million drams. The area of the purchased apartment must not be less than 12 square meters per family member, and the price of the apartment cannot exceed 55 million drams.
If a person has an existing mortgage loan, the government will provide support in the amount of 2 million drams for each family member. Mortgages in the first and second price zones of Yerevan are also not considered here.
When choosing the second component (issuing a certificate for the construction of a private house), the family can use 3 million drams from the provided financial assistance to purchase a land plot. In this case, the area of the acquired land should not be less than 400 sq.m.
If, as a result of issuing a certificate, a positive balance is formed, then the opportunity will be created to send them in the following three directions. The first is the purchase of a rural plot of land worth up to 5 million drams. Secondly, if the purchased property requires repairs, it can be repaired for up to 3 million drams, in addition, it is possible to purchase furniture and household appliances for up to 2 million drams.
To build a house, the beneficiary must choose one of the approved standard projects, and only a construction organization licensed in Armenia can build. If the beneficiary does not have a land plot for the construction of a private house, then the authorities will give the opportunity to use up to 3 million drams from the support amount to purchase a land plot, the area of which should not be less than 400 square meters.
The beneficiaries of the program are families forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh after September 27, 2020, if all family members, including minors, have Armenian citizenship. The program will not affect families from Kashatagh (Lachin), as well as families where at least one person owns residential property in Armenia at the time of application. The program is terminated if two of the adult family members are under 55 years of age or one of the minors is outside Armenia for more than 183 days during one calendar year (except for cases of studying in a number of educational institutions). In this case, ownership of the property is transferred to the state.
The project will be financed by partner banks, the amount of support and interest on it will be paid by the Government. Funds in the established amounts will be provided to beneficiaries free of charge.
The procedure arising from the program will be approved by June 15. From this moment on, the apartment purchase component will be in effect, from July 15 - the private house construction component, and from August 1 - the mortgage loan repayment component.
The project will be implemented in three stages. At the first stage, families with 3 or more minor children will be included; in the case of building a house, families with 2 minor children. At the second stage, families with two minors will be included, and in the case of building a house - families with one minor. The program starts no later than January 1, 2026. At the third stage, families of any composition will be included. The program starts no later than January 1, 2027.
Earlier at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Khachatryan said that up to 25 thousand families could become beneficiaries of this program, and the cost of construction/purchase of housing alone would amount to about 500 billion drams. "According to the most conservative estimates, the program's expenses over the next 10-12 years will exceed 700-800 billion drams," he noted.
