Certain rights violations — both of tenants and landlords — can be avoided if people are aware of the obligations and responsibilities of both parties.

Anastasia Bobrova, the Director of an independent think tank, Cedos.

In 2024, with the support of the European Union provided within the framework of the project “Network of Gender Think Tanks: Strengthening Capacity for Advanced Policy Development, Impact Assessment, Strategic Advocacy and Focused Policy Communications,” implemented by the Ukrainian Women’s Fund, the think tank presented communication campaigns on fair housing rentals for three cities.

“Historically, the private rental sector in Ukraine has been insignificant. According to the State Statistics Service, before the full-scale invasion, the share of tenants was about 4%. Due to the war, destruction of housing, and forced displacement, more and more people are forced to look for rental housing, so demand and challenges have increased,” explains Anastasia Bobrova.

The rental market remains under-researched, unregulated, and largely based on informal agreements between landlords and tenants. The lack of standards for housing quality and cost has led to a situation where rental prices in the west of the country rose sharply at the start of the full-scale war and remain high.

“That is why we decided to launch communication campaigns in three cities where the demand for rental housing has increased — Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Chernivtsi. Their goal is to raise people’s awareness of their rights and obligations in the field of renting. We particularly emphasised the importance of transparent, fair and non-discriminatory conditions, in particular without gender bias. The main thing is to convey important information to tenants, landlords, and vulnerable groups about their options and the rules that apply to renting accommodation in the context of European integration,” says Anastasia Bobrova.

The key tool for conveying this information was the Legal Guide to Renting Accommodation. It answers 52 housing-rental-related questions — what must be included in the contract, in what cases you can be evicted, whether the owner has the right to come without warning, what you should find out before renting out your home, and much more.

“Due to the low level of regulation in the rental sector, various myths still exist. For example, the contract must be notarised, which is not true. It is sufficient for both parties to sign the rental agreement for it to be valid. This document can be used to go to court in case of violations,” says Anastasia Bobrova. “Discriminatory practices are also common in the private rental sector. They may be related, for example, to the presence of children. Accordingly, it can be much more difficult for women who are raising children on their own to find housing. Therefore, increasing the security of rental housing will also raise the housing security for women. It can also be difficult for internally displaced persons to find housing. They ask about registration or find out that a person has IDP status and refuse to rent them accommodation. This existed before 2022, but with the full-scale invasion, it has become more acute due to the growth of the sector.”

The information was disseminated via Facebook, outdoor advertising on public transport, publications in online media, and on the Cedos website, including a presentation and blog about renting housing. The total reach of the three campaigns was almost 3 million.

“In many countries, as a counterbalance to the private rental sector, there is socially accessible housing, where landlords are municipalities or private companies providing social housing. This balances the market. Ukraine has already committed to creating social rental housing. A housing reform is currently underway, which should lead to the emergence of municipal rentals. Following the best European practices, we should see the emergence of a sector of municipal rather than private rentals, which will also help regulate the commercial rental sector,” says Anastasia Bobrova.

In 2024, the Union of Tenants of Housing was also established in Ukraine. Its representatives approached Cedos, requesting to use the Legal Guide to Housing Rentals in their work.

After communication campaigns were conducted, more and more organisations began to use it. The guide is actively picked up and used in new projects. This has a direct impact.

Anastasia Bobrova, Cedos Director.

The housing rental market in Ukraine has expanded, but remains poorly regulated and vulnerable to discriminatory practices. Cedos’ initiatives help inform citizens about their rights, increasing legal and social protection, particularly for women and IDPs. This is an important step towards a transparent, fair, and European approach to housing rental.

The rental housing market in Ukraine has expanded but remains poorly regulated and vulnerable to discriminatory practices. Cedos initiatives help inform citizens about their rights, increasing legal and social protection, particularly for women and IDPs. This is an important step towards a transparent, fair, and European approach to housing rental.

This material was prepared as part of the project ‘Network of Gender Think Tanks: Strengthening Capacity for Policy Development, Impact Assessment, Strategic Advocacy and Focused Policy Communications,’ implemented by the Ukrainian Women’s Fund with the support of the European Union. The UWF is responsible for the content of this material.

This material was first published on the Ukrainian Women’s Fund website.