Ukraine’s Real Estate and Construction Market in 2026: New Rules, Realtors and EU Standards
The real estate and construction market is being prepared for new rules of the game. Work has begun in the Verkhovna Rada that could change one of the most sensitive sectors for millions of Ukrainians. This is not about cosmetic edits, but about an attempt to bring systemic order to a sphere where trust, risks and legal uncertainty have coexisted for years. In parliament, two special working groups have started operating at the same time, preparing legislative changes for the real estate market and the construction sector. Their work has been defined as a priority for 2026, and this is an important signal: the state is moving from fragmented decisions to a comprehensive revision of the rules.
The first direction is realtor services and real estate transactions. This is where the greatest number of everyday conflicts, losses and court disputes are concentrated. Buying an apartment, investing in housing at the construction stage, working with intermediaries all of this directly affects the safety of people’s money and rights. The working group aims to:
- protect citizens’ rights during real estate transactions;
- regulate the activity of realtors;
- define rules for obtaining rights to properties that are still under construction;
- build a transparent market model that is clear to all participants.
As emphasized by the head of the relevant parliamentary committee, Olena Shuliak, the discussion will involve all key players – market professionals, professional associations, government officials and the expert community.
“We will involve all specialists who are working in the market today, the relevant associations, government officials, the expert community, and together we will find the model that needs to be implemented at the legislative level so that the market is transparent, modern, based on European market models, so that the profession of a real estate specialist is not devalued, and people who use their services are максимально protected,” she noted.
The key idea is clear rules for everyone. Realtors should be officially registered as business entities, bear responsibility for their activity and work according to understandable standards. Among the possible innovations:
- standard contracts;
- a list of mandatory clauses that must be included in such contracts;
- requirements for professional qualifications;
- uniform rules for the entire market.
At the same time, it is emphasized that this is not a quick process. According to Olena Shuliak, the work may take about a year, because the country needs a viable draft law that will actually work, not remain a declaration.
The second direction is construction products and the quality of materials. This topic is becoming critically important against the backdrop of the country’s future large-scale reconstruction. Ukraine has been moving for several years toward implementing the European regulation on construction materials, but the process is still not complete. In 2020, EU Regulation No. 305 was adopted, setting quality requirements for construction products to enter the European market. Ukrainian producers must certify their products and confirm compliance with European standards. At the same time, the situation is complicated by the fact that in the European Union, an updated version of this regulation will begin to apply on January 1, 2027, and Ukraine risks falling even further behind. Olena Shuliak speaks directly about this problem:
“Accordingly, a new regulation will be in force, and we are a bit behind the standards that operate in the European Union. But we understand that without modern materials, without modernizing, so to speak, Ukrainian production, we will not be able to rebuild the country with quality. That is why we need to develop legislation in the field of providing construction products on the market – in particular, to work out updates to Regulation 305.”
The second working group will focus specifically on:
- updating requirements for construction materials;
- synchronizing Ukrainian rules with European ones;
- creating conditions for high-quality and safe reconstruction.
It is important that these processes are not happening in a vacuum. Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko has already instructed the relevant agencies to work out the issue of regulating the realtor services market, taking into account economic conditions and the state’s priority needs. Experts do not rule out that legislative changes may affect the cost of realtor services, but at the same time increase the level of protection for consumers.
Time for Action has carefully analyzed all confirmed information and sees in this not a one-off initiative, but an attempt to lay down long-term rules for two key sectors. Real estate and construction are not only about the economy, but also about citizens’ basic trust in the state. It is precisely these rules that will determine whether Ukraine’s reconstruction will be transparent, safe and truly European.
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