Bulgarians settle Ukrainians in empty apartments of Russians

“Because of the high cost, property owners cannot get to their apartments”

Russians who own property in Bulgaria are in trouble. Workers began to move into apartments whose owners could not get there.

The owner of the apartments in Saint Vlas spoke about the current situation.

In the early 2000s, tens of thousands of Russians bought apartments in Bulgaria. Then it was available. In addition to taxes, people paid an annual support fee to the management company to which their residential complex belonged. For cleaning the territory, the complex and the maintenance of the pool, they asked from 500 to 1000 euros. Each management company set its own price depending on the prestige of the complex.

After 2020, many Russians who own real estate have not been able to get to their apartments. First, the borders were closed due to the coronavirus epidemic, then Russia fell under sanctions – it became difficult and expensive to get to Bulgaria.

“The Russians simply don’t have the money to come here,” complains the owner of the property, Ekaterina. – Accordingly, the debt to the management company increases. And the Bulgarians began to populate the empty apartments of their workers.

A resident of St. Petersburg told a story that happened in her complex.

— My friend has an apartment in Saint Vlas since 2010. She hasn’t been able to come here for four years: first because of the covid, then there were problems with money,” the woman says. – The annual support fee in her residential complex is 650 euros. Accordingly, the service debt has already exceeded 1900 euros. The manager called her friend, reminded her of the debt. What will she do? Due to sanctions, he cannot even transfer the required amount. Some time ago, the Bulgarians offered to put workers in her apartment, who would pay the tax for the season and live there. The hostess refused, she was afraid that the workers would ruin her apartment, where there is new furniture, on which the fly did not sit. Then the manager of the Criminal Code began to scare her with a tax debt, which amounted to only 178 euros. He hinted that the case smells like a court. As a result, workers were settled in the empty apartments anyway – they turned out to be a married couple, he is Bulgarian, she is Ukrainian. The owner of the apartment learned about it from the neighbors. She cried so much. I contacted the manager, he reassured her, saying, don’t worry, we took your furniture to the utility room, removed personal belongings, put our beds. This year, my friend is again unable to come …

According to the interlocutor, those Russians who cannot get to Bulgaria rent out housing so that the apartments do not stand idle for years. True, it is not very possible to earn money on rent.

– When I bought an apartment, I was immediately warned that you would not earn money on rent in Bulgaria. There is a lot of competition, everyone gives up. Now the influx of Ukrainians has played into our hands. Most Russians surrender to them. But no matter how much I hung around in thematic chats, the queue with money for my apartments does not line up. Previously, at least tourists from Russia could be offered a studio in the summer season. And now you need to try to rent an apartment for at least 500-800 euros in the summer month. In the rest of the year, no one rents apartments for more than 200 euros. Again, thanks to the Ukrainians. But sooner or later they will leave, and then there will be no one left to rent. Russian tourists are unlikely to come here, it is too problematic to get there. Here are our apartments. And we pay endless fees for them, so everyone is in debt. Selling is also not profitable. You won’t gain much. After all, we bought apartments when the euro was 39 rubles. For us Bulgarian real estate was like fun. Plane tickets cost a penny. People come here for the weekend, as they flew to the country. And now it doesn’t look so funny anymore.