Apartments

Renting an apartment in Kyiv can be very challenging for foreigners without assistance from a local who understands the entire process and is looking out for your best interests. Numerous types of rental apartment scams are common in Ukraine and nothing is worse than thinking you have just signed for an apartment, paid rent, only to have everyone disappear on you and you are left with a loss of a bunch of money with no place to stay. The scams can get very complicated and are almost impossible for foreigners to detect. Scammers may pose as the owner of the apartment but actually are inserting themselves as a middle man, asking the true owner for proof of ownership documents, then meeting you at the location of an Airbnb rental, collecting the rent payment and deposit, signing fake paperwork, and handing you keys to an Airbnb rental which you will be evicted from the next day while they disappear with your money. The variations on these scams is only limited by the creativity of the scammers, and the ignorance of foreigners on how renting an apartment legally and legitimately works in Ukraine.

If you are going to attempt renting an apartment in Ukraine always use a reputable realtor. You’ll pay more for the apartment by going through a realtor, but you will be safe from the vast majority of scams that could happen to you by not using a realtor. You should also use the assistance of a experienced local helping you step by step in person through the process, from finding an apartment that meets your requirements, checking the legality of the ownership documents, up until signing the lease and making your payment. This is what I did to rent my first apartment in Kyiv. I found a great, experienced, local Kyivian named Artemii who helped me through the whole process, and I highly recommend that you Contact Me so that Artemi can help you as well.

Here are Artemii’s own words.

Hello traveler! I assist with finding an apartment according to your needs and desires. I check the legal documents of the landowner, translate between Ukrainian/Russian and English, accompany you during the viewing of the apartment and the signing of the contact between you and landowner. I will help you step by step through the process of finding and renting an apartment in Kyiv. The total cost of my assistance is $100 USD for the entire process. If you are interested in my service let me know. Best regards, Artemii