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eOselya: How Internally Displaced Persons Can Obtain a Preferential Mortgage

The state program eOselya continues to help Ukrainians purchase their own homes on preferential terms. For internally displaced persons (IDPs), the program provides special support mechanisms — reduced interest rates, extended time limits for purchasing housing, and state compensation.

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Where to Apply for a Mortgage

The program operates through several state and private banks, including Oschadbank, PrivatBank, Ukrgasbank, Sense Bank, and others.

The minimum down payment usually starts at 20%, but for young people under the age of 26, it can be reduced to 10%. Participants may purchase apartments, private houses, or townhouses.

For citizens without preferential status, the housing must have been commissioned no more than three years ago. For IDPs, this period has been extended to 20 years, greatly expanding their options.

“We aimed to make the program accessible to those who lost their homes due to the war. Extending the housing eligibility period gives people a real chance to find a property that meets their needs,” explained representatives of Ukrfinzhytlo, the organization administering the program.

Interest Rates and Eligible Categories

The base mortgage rate is 7% per year. For certain categories of citizens, Ukrfinzhytlo covers part of this rate from its own funds, reducing it to 3%.

This preferential rate applies to military personnel, law enforcement officers, medical workers, teachers, and scientists. Meanwhile, veterans, their family members, and internally displaced persons can obtain loans at the base rate of 7% per year.

Eligible participants are citizens who do not own housing or whose property is smaller than 52.5 square meters per person, plus an additional 21 square meters for each subsequent family member.

For example, a family of three can apply for the program if they own a home smaller than 93.5 square meters.

How to Apply

To join the program, applicants must submit an application through the Diia app. The application is then sent to one or more participating banks, which assess the applicant’s creditworthiness.

Next, the participant must choose a property — either a completed home or one under construction. Partner banks accredit verified properties, which are listed on the program’s official website.

After selecting the property, the applicant must collect the necessary documents and submit them to the bank branch to finalize the mortgage.

Three Years of the Program

Over three years of operation, eOselya has become one of Ukraine’s largest state housing initiatives. More than 20,000 families have already benefited from the program, with a total loan amount exceeding 35 billion hryvnias.

Among internally displaced persons, 953 families have received loans. However, the actual number may be higher, as some applicants had mixed statuses — for example, being teachers or military personnel without indicating their IDP status in the application.

Compensation for IDPs

In addition to preferential interest rates, IDPs can receive state compensation — covering 70% of the down payment, provided the payment determined by the bank does not exceed 30% of the property’s value.

This option also applies to people living in frontline areas who do not own any housing.

“The state takes on most of the financial burden. For instance, if the monthly payment is 10,000 hryvnias, the government will cover 7,000 during the first year,” reported the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine.

The program limits the maximum property value to 2 million hryvnias.

Looking Ahead

The eOselya program has demonstrated that state housing support can remain effective even during wartime. The government is now considering expanding the program and increasing its funding to give more Ukrainians the opportunity to own a home.

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Марта Синовіцька
Марта Синовіцька
Journalist | Studied at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Faculty of Philology, specializing in ‘Literary and Art Analytics.’ In journalism since 2020. Started as an editor for management publications at MTSFER-Ukraine. Later worked as an editor in the Information Department of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Since July 2024, a journalist at the Humanitarian Media Hub.

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