Angelina Dikun

In Minsk, where square meters cost oh so much money, real estate properties for business are being offered for free. There are options in the city center. There are entire buildings with decent square footage. Yes, there are conditions: you need to do renovations and create new jobs here. Costs? Yes. But for some entrepreneurs, it is precisely expensive rent that becomes an obstacle to development. And here – zero rubles.

3D wheel alignment and customers 24/7. This car service station has been servicing and repairing cars for over a year. 8 thousand square meters is enough for both cars and business to spread out.

Dmitry Yankovsky, head of the car service station: “In 2024, I started looking for larger premises so we could have the opportunity to change tires on trucks with semi-trailers. I came across the gov.by portal and came, looked, submitted documents, and the premises were provided by decision of the executive committee. I liked everything right away, the territory was looked after, everything was neat. As soon as I saw it, I immediately went to submit documents. The premises were, in principle, in good, satisfactory condition.”

The building of a former gas station is now the office of the car service station. Dmitry received this premises and the adjacent territory on Trastenetskaya Street for free use from the Minsk City Executive Committee. For zero rubles in rent, he created six jobs and improved the site. For now, the entrepreneur admits, all profits are going into development. The main expense items: utilities, wages, and land tax.

And zero rent, it turns out, is not a one-off experiment but a well-known practice. Property that could not be leased out, Minsk gives to business just like that, but with a condition.

Olga Zurashvili, chief specialist of the State Property Committee of the Minsk City Executive Committee: “For legal entities and individual entrepreneurs under the obligation to create jobs. Currently, 24 real estate properties with a total area of more than 3,000 square meters are being offered. The list is freely available on the Minsk City Executive Committee website on the banner ‘Minsk Business Portal’ in the ‘Rent of premises’ section for 0 rubles.”

There is plenty to choose from: from Zavodskoy and Partizansky to Tsentralny and Pervomaysky districts. Here, for example, is the first floor of a residential building. Previously, there was a vestibule and a stroller room, and for the last two years it has been completely quiet. The premises are small, only 32 square meters. According to the passport, it is perfect for a creative workshop. You just need to update some technical conditions.

The money saved on rent can be invested in renovations from the very start, turning your idea into a profitable business. Given that with regular rent, entrepreneurs spend on average about 1,500 rubles a month for a 50-square-meter space, that adds up to 18,000 rubles a year. That's quite enough to breathe new life into the premises.

A two-story detached building is the fattest lot in the registry. And not on the outskirts! The address is within the second city ring road. But the owner will have about three years ahead. Coffee shops, a barbershop, creative workshops, or maybe even a whole hostel. The building at 7 Stakhanovskaya Street can be used for any purpose. Just imagine two floors, almost 640 square meters in the capital for zero rubles.

The city offers an honest barter. You get the keys to space in the capital and pay no rent. Your side of the deal is to pay utilities, put the premises in order, and, most importantly, create new jobs. Not on paper, but in reality, for the entire term of the contract.

Based on Dmitry's experience, approvals will take about four months, and another couple of months for renovations and hiring staff. As this car service center shows, those who aren't scared off at the start end up with a sustainable business in the capital for years to come.

Dmitry Yankovsky, head of the car service center: "I think you have to take risks anyway, because if you never try anything, then nothing will work out, and people will regret it."

Ideal conditions and one hundred percent readiness will never exist. That is why those who choose the principle "the best time is now" are already eyeing the available spaces in the capital for their business. Standalone buildings, attics, and basements are ready to throw open their doors. The registry of available spaces is updated every month.