Developer Blagorod has not completed the residential complex near Kyiv: investors live without heating and documents.

According to ТСН: These people bought apartments before the war started, but they still cannot live in them. A month ago, during peak hours, they blocked Kryukivshchyna near Kyiv, demanding the legalization of the buildings and connection to heating.

The protest was peaceful, and the TSN team tried to clarify the reasons why investors have to live in unfinished apartments and when they will receive documents for their housing.

Behind every window — postponed dreams and hopes of people.

“Water is leaking from the ceiling. We have mold everywhere. Our children have allergies. In winter, we pay between 10 to 20 thousand for utilities,” says co-owner Alina.

This project was meant to become the largest residential complex in Kryukivshchyna. Planned comfortable housing, a kindergarten, school, and shops were supposed to create a 'city within a city'. However, construction has stopped, and investors lack both autonomous heating and rights to their housing.

Inna Dzhogalo, one of many investors, emphasizes that she was attracted not only by the developer's promises but also by his name, as 'Blagorod' sounds like a symbol of morality and integrity.

“A small town where you do not have to leave, where you can work. I am a hairdresser. I wanted to open my own salon here,” the woman notes.

She has saved for her own apartment for 15 years, but now she cannot live there:

“Because I went in today, and it's 9 degrees here. For living, this apartment is unfit. I rent one in Kyiv. I live there. And this one just stands empty.”

Inna pays 8 thousand hryvnias a month for renting a one-room apartment on the outskirts of the capital. And this, according to her, is cheaper than heating a new apartment in Kryukivshchyna.

Not only the cold but also mold on the walls is a problem that all neighbors face. Maria Hurnak demonstrates the mold, explaining that they were forced to move into the unfinished apartment. They only heat the studio kitchen using an air conditioner, which creates an even bigger problem.

“Now we just want to put air conditioners in these two rooms to get rid of the mold. But this will also be very expensive for us,” the woman says.

Heating is only available on the first floor, which is a growing concern, as utility bills reach 20 thousand hryvnias per month.

“In winter, when there are severe frosts, we can't even heat this one room with the air conditioner,” shares Maria.

The gas boiler has never been turned on, as the renovation is still not completed:

“We can't buy furniture because it will get moldy. And we are stuck. We are waiting for gas. We are waiting to receive documents to become owners of our apartment.”

Autonomous heating will only work after the high-rise building is commissioned. The developer promised this as early as autumn 2022.

“In 2023, they told us: take the keys, start renovations, you can even live there. And we are still working on the documents. Everything will be fine. There will be gas,” Maria recounts.

However, three years later, the situation has not changed, which forced people to protest.

“We want to be heard. We turned to the local authorities of the city of Vyshneve — no one is responding to us,” says Alina Usatenko.

The head of the city council has his version of the situation: he claims he learned about the problem only after the protest. Construction in the community has not stopped, but activity has only intensified at the end of 2023.

The main reason is the new state building standards introduced during martial law. The State Architecture Inspection is checking the compliance of new square meters with the construction plan.

“Absolutely everything needs to be digitized. Requirements related to certain categories of inclusivity and fire safety have been added,” comments the developer's lawyer Olga Balaban.

Olga is handling the developer's matters to obtain the operating permit as soon as possible. She notes that delays are caused not only by air alerts but also by a lack of labor.

It was supposed that 25 ten-story comfort-class buildings would be built on these 50 hectares, which means more than three thousand apartments.

But now the new construction site is fenced off, and investors are worried that what was promised to them will not be restored.

“Earlier it was our territory, it belonged to our residential complex. And there was supposed to be a school and a kindergarten. But as we can see, a new residential complex is being built here,” say investors.

When asked about the third stage of construction, the developers only shrug, promising that work will resume in spring, but only if there is financing available.

The situation with unfinished apartments in Kryukivshchyna has become a symbol of the problems faced by investors across Ukraine during the war. People who placed their hopes on new housing remain without necessary living conditions and support from the authorities, which only exacerbates their discontent.

Time will tell whether investors will be able to get what they paid for and when construction will finally resume. For now, they are forced to fight for their rights and hope for a change in the situation.