How to Choose an Apartment in a New Building: A Complete Buyer's Guide

An apartment in a new building is attractive for its modern layout, new utilities and the chance to buy cheaper during construction than in a finished building. At the same time, this is where buyers carry the greatest risks: a project can be frozen, built with violations or never commissioned. This guide walks you from choosing a residential complex to getting the keys while minimizing risk at every stage.

If you're still deciding whether to buy new at all, start with our article on resale vs new build.

Step 1. Assess the Developer

The developer is the main risk factor. Even the best layout is worthless if the building is never finished.

What to Check

• Track record. How many buildings has the company completed and commissioned? Did it meet its deadlines? Visit a finished complex and talk to residents.
• The legal entity. Each complex is often built by a separate company. Check it in registers: registration date, founders, ultimate beneficial owners, court cases, tax debts. Useful tools include YouControl, Opendatabot and the Unified State Register of Court Decisions.
• Reputation. Reviews, media coverage, and whether the portfolio contains a frozen "long-term construction" project.
• Financing model. Does the company build with its own money, or does it depend entirely on sales? Is there bank financing for the project?

Detailed instructions are in our article how to check a developer.

Step 2. Check the Permits

Construction of apartment buildings is governed by the Law on Regulation of Urban Planning Activity. Before buying, the developer should show you (or you should find yourself):

1. Land documents. Ownership or lease of the plot with a designated purpose for residential construction. You can check the cadastral number on the Public Cadastral Map.
2. Urban planning conditions and restrictions — these set the allowed height and density.
3. A construction work permit. For apartment buildings (consequence classes CC2 and CC3) a permit — not just a notification — is required. The procedure is set by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 466. Permits are published in the Unified State Electronic System for Construction.
4. Design documentation with expert review — confirms compliance with building codes.
5. General contractor and technical supervision — who actually builds and who controls quality.

If the building is already finished, ask for the certificate of acceptance into operation, issued under Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 461. Construction oversight is carried out by the State Inspection of Architecture and Urban Planning.

Step 3. Understand the Sales Scheme

New-build apartments in Ukraine are sold under different legal schemes, and buyer protection varies significantly.

• Purchase of property rights. The most common scheme. The buyer acquires property rights to a future apartment and registers ownership after the building is commissioned.
• Construction financing fund (FFB). Governed by Law No. 978-IV. Funds pass through a bank-manager that controls how they are used.
• Preliminary sale agreement. The parties undertake to conclude the main agreement later. Buyer protection is weaker: it's an agreement about a future deal, not a right to the apartment itself.
• Housing cooperative membership. The buyer pays share contributions and receives the apartment after completion.
• Investment certificates. Purchasing through collective investment institutions — a complex scheme where a lawyer is a must.

Also be aware of Law No. 2518-IX "On guaranteeing property rights to real estate objects to be built in the future". It provides for registering rights to a future apartment in the state register already during construction, which significantly strengthens buyer protection. Check whether its provisions are in force at the time of your deal: many of them are tied to the end of martial law.

Always show any agreement to a lawyer before signing. Pay attention to construction deadlines, penalties for the developer, termination conditions, and whether price and area are fixed.

Step 4. Choose the Location

You can renovate an apartment, but you can't change its location.

• Transport. A metro or light rail station within 10–15 minutes' walk is the best protection of liquidity.
• Social infrastructure. Are there schools and kindergartens with places nearby? In large complexes infrastructure is often promised "in later phases".
• Surroundings. Industrial zones, combined heat and power plants, railways and waste facilities reduce comfort and price.
• Urban plans. What will be built on neighboring plots? The vacant lot outside the window could become another tower.
• Safety. A shelter in or near the building and distance from critical infrastructure.

Compare popular districts in our top 5 Kyiv districts.

Step 5. Assess the Building and Technology

• Construction method. Monolithic frame buildings give layout flexibility, brick offers good thermal insulation, panel buildings are faster and cheaper.
• Facade insulation. Mineral wool or polystyrene, insulation thickness, facade type.
• Energy efficiency. Under the Law on Energy Efficiency of Buildings, new buildings receive an energy performance certificate. Ask for the energy class.
• Heating. Central heating, a building boiler house or individual boilers. Are there heat meters?
• Elevators — number, capacity, manufacturer.
• Backup systems. A generator for elevators and pumps, backup water supply, solar panels for common areas.
• Parking — underground or surface, number of spaces per apartment.

Step 6. Choose the Layout

• Efficient use of space. Minimal corridors, rectangular rooms, enough wall space for furniture.
• Window orientation. East or west is a good compromise between daylight and summer overheating.
• Open-plan kitchen-living room or a separate kitchen? It depends on your lifestyle.
• Number of bathrooms. For apartments of 70 m² and more, consider two.
• Floor. Lower floors are cheaper but noisier. Top floors risk roof leaks and overheating.
• Redevelopment potential. In monolithic frame buildings most internal walls aren't load-bearing, but any changes must be approved — see apartment redevelopment.

If space is tight, see our ergonomics ideas in small apartment design.

Step 7. Price and Payment

Construction Stages and Price

The lowest price is at the foundation stage, but so is the highest risk. The price rises with every completed section. A realistic compromise is to buy once the frame is being built, when the real pace of work is visible.

Payment Options

• Full payment — the biggest discount.
• Developer installments — check whether payments are pegged to a foreign currency and whether the price is fixed.
• Mortgage — most banks lend for new builds only in accredited complexes or after commissioning. The state eOselia program has its own requirements for properties — see our eOselia guide and our overview of mortgages in Ukraine.

Hidden Costs

• registering ownership and taxes — see property purchase taxes;
• surcharges for area differences after official measurement;
• utility connections, if not included in the price;
• renovation: "shell", "white box" or "turnkey" condition determines the budget. See how to plan it in our apartment renovation guide.

Step 8. Accepting the Apartment

Once the building is commissioned, don't rush to sign the acceptance certificate. Check the geometry of walls and floors, windows, the entrance door, screed, wiring, heating, water supply and sewerage. Record every defect in the certificate — the developer must fix them. A detailed checklist is in new-build apartment acceptance.

After signing, register ownership in the State Register of Property Rights under Law No. 1952-IV. Only then are you the full legal owner.

Red Flags

• The developer won't show permits or says they are "in progress".
• The price is far below the market in the area.
• Construction is slow or has stopped for several months.
• The developer company was registered recently and has no history.
• The contract has no commissioning deadline or liability for missing it.
• Sales go "through third parties" without a direct contract with the developer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get my money back if construction stops? It depends on the sales scheme and contract terms. In most cases you'll have to go to court, and the process takes years. Your main protection is a thorough check before buying.

Is it worth buying in the first phase of a large complex? The first phase is usually the cheapest, but residents will live next to a construction site for several years.

Can I resell property rights before completion? Yes, through an assignment agreement, but often with the developer's consent and a fee. Such a resale is taxable — factor that into your calculations.

Is it better to buy with a developer's finish or without? A developer's finish saves time and lets you move in immediately, and sometimes it can be included in the mortgage. But materials are usually budget-grade and the workmanship is mass-market. If you have a clear vision for the interior, buy without finishing.

Conclusion

Buying in a new building is above all about choosing a reliable developer and a transparent legal scheme. Check the land documents and construction permit, review the contract with a lawyer, and assess the location and technical characteristics of the building. And remember: saving money at the foundation stage only makes sense when you're confident the building will be finished.

Sources

• Law of Ukraine on Regulation of Urban Planning Activity.
• Law of Ukraine No. 2518-IX on guaranteeing property rights to future real estate.
• Law of Ukraine No. 978-IV on construction financing funds.
• Law of Ukraine on State Registration of Property Rights to Real Estate.
• Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 466 on construction works and Resolution No. 461 on acceptance into operation.
• Unified State Electronic System for Construction, Public Cadastral Map, DIAM.

Read Also

• How to check a developer before buying
• New-build apartment acceptance: a checklist
• Resale vs new build: which to choose
• eOselia: how to get an affordable mortgage