On top of the price of an apartment in Odesa, budget roughly 3 % for completing the deal: a state duty of 1 %, a Pension Fund contribution of 1 %, and the rest for the notary, register extracts and the valuation. With a loan, add insurance and bank charges, and the total reaches about 5 %. Current as of 14.10.2026.
That is not the whole list. A three room apartment differs from a one room one in that floor area multiplies every sum after the price: renovation, furniture, appliances. Below is what buyers actually pay, and where these sums get underestimated.
Completing the deal: state duty, Pension Fund, notary
The state duty is 1 % of the contract sum. The law does not fix who pays it, so it is a matter of agreement, and in Odesa it is usually the buyer or a split between the sides. Settle it together with the deposit, not on the day of signing.
The Pension Fund contribution is also 1 %, and the buyer pays it. A first time buyer, or someone registered on the housing list, is exempt, but the grounds have to be evidenced in advance.
Notary fees follow a tariff and depend on how straightforward the deal is. Shared ownership, an inheritance, a minor among the owners, a power of attorney instead of the owner in person: each adds work and cost.
Extracts, valuation and a technical inspection
Before signing you need extracts from the State Register of Property Rights: the owner, the grounds, and any seizures, mortgages or bans on alienation. The notary orders them, they cost little, and there is no way around them.
A valuation is required to calculate the taxes and is paid separately. Without the valuerʼs report the deal will not be registered.
A technical inspection is optional, but across three rooms it pays for itself. Damp, wiring, pipes, hidden defects in walls and ceilings: cheaper to find before the deposit than after moving in. Check the floor area against the technical passport too, and look for unlegalised alterations: they lower the price and make the apartment harder to sell on. The full order of checks is in our article on how to check an apartment before buying.
Renovation and furniture: the largest item after the price
This is the cost people underestimate most. A metre on the Odesa resale market costs 1 319 $, and an apartment without renovation is cheaper precisely because the work is still ahead. Across three rooms that difference easily exceeds whatever you saved on the price.
Furniture and appliances are a separate budget: an empty apartment with three rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom needs roughly as much again as renovating its area costs. So choose on the final total including the work, not on the price per metre.
Utility debts and transferring accounts
A previous ownerʼs debt stays with the account, and the account belongs to the apartment rather than the person. So before the deal you collect certificates of no arrears from each supplier separately: gas, electricity, water, heating, refuse collection. Any debt is either cleared before signing or deducted from the price and written into the contract.
Afterwards the accounts are transferred into your name. The sums are small, but it means several separate applications. Internet and television are connected afresh.
Building management contribution and insurance
In buildings with a residents' association or a management company the new owner pays for management, and new builds often add a one off service contribution. The amount depends on the building, so ask before the deposit: it almost never appears in a buyerʼs own estimate.
Home insurance is optional when you buy with your own money and compulsory when you borrow. In the second case the premium and the bank charges are what lift the total addition from about 3 % to about 5 %.
How to plan the budget in advance
An order that saves time and nerves:
- Take the sum you are prepared to spend in total and subtract about 3 %, or 5 % with a loan. What is left is your ceiling on the price.
- Looking at apartments without renovation, set aside a separate reserve for the work and the furniture.
- Check debts and the management contribution before the deposit.
- Put who pays the duty and the Pension Fund contribution.
What is for sale now is in the catalogue of three room apartments in Odesa, and prices by district on the apartment prices in Odesa page. Apartments for sale: 9 212.
How much money is needed on top of the price?
Around 3 % of the price: a state duty of 1 %, a Pension Fund contribution of 1 %, and the rest for the notary, extracts and the valuation. With a loan about 5 %, because insurance and bank charges are added.
Who pays the state duty, the buyer or the seller?
The law does not fix this, it is an agreement between the parties. In Odesa it is usually the buyer, or a split between the sides. Settle it together with the deposit.
Is it possible not to pay the Pension Fund contribution?
Yes, for a first time buyer or someone registered on the housing list. The grounds are evidenced before the deal. Without that evidence the 1 % has to be paid.
What if the apartment has utility debts?
The debt stays with the apartmentʼs account, so it is either cleared before signing or deducted from the price and written into the contract. Certificates of no arrears come from each supplier separately.
Is a technical inspection of a three room apartment necessary?
Not compulsory, but across a large area it pays for itself: damp, wiring, pipes and hidden defects are cheaper to find before the deposit. The floor area is also checked against the technical passport.
We will shortlist options for your budget and guide the deal from the first viewing to signing.
