Apartment alterations: what you can do without approval

Two kinds of alteration

The Housing Code of the Russian Federation distinguishes two kinds of change.

• Re-equipment (pereustroistvo) - installing, replacing or moving utilities and sanitary, electrical or other equipment in a way that requires changes to the premises' technical passport (Housing Code, article 25, part 1). Example: moving the bath or a towel rail to another spot.
• Re-planning (pereplanirovka) - changing the configuration of the premises in a way that requires changes to the technical passport (Housing Code, article 25, part 2). Example: removing a partition or making a new opening.

The key test in both cases is the same: does what's recorded in the technical passport change? If not, it's ordinary renovation.

These are Russian rules; other countries have their own.

What usually doesn't need approval

• levelling and finishing walls, ceilings and floors;
• replacing flooring, tiles, wallpaper, painting;
• replacing interior doors in the same openings;
• replacing plumbing fixtures in the same places, without moving the pipes;
• replacing sockets and switches without changing the circuit;
• built-in furniture that doesn't change the configuration of rooms.

There is no single federal list of “allowed without approval”. Some regions have their own lists and a simplified procedure for certain work. If in doubt, check with the body that approves alterations in your city - before work starts.

What needs approval

• removing, moving or adding partitions;
• new openings and widening old ones;
• joining rooms, or the kitchen with a room;
• moving the toilet, bathroom or kitchen;
• moving or adding utilities and equipment if this changes the technical passport;
• moving radiators and towel rails on shared risers - through building management: the app route says so for the item “Prepare outlets for a hydronic towel rail”.

Where wet areas and the kitchen can't be moved

Here the answer comes not from the code of law but from the code of practice for residential buildings - SP 54.13330.2022:

• A bathroom above other people's rooms. A toilet, bathroom or combined bathroom may not be placed above living rooms and kitchens (clause 7.20). That's why moving a bathroom almost always runs into the apartment below.
• A two-level apartment. In an apartment on two levels, the upper level's bathroom may be placed above its own kitchen (clause 7.20).
• Washing machine. A washing machine and other equipment that needs water or makes noise and vibration may not be placed above living rooms (note to clause 7.20).
• Kitchen above rooms. A kitchen, kitchen niche or the kitchen area of a kitchen-dining room may not be placed above living rooms (clause 7.21).
• Ceiling height. The height of living rooms and the kitchen from floor to ceiling is at least 2.5 m, and in some climate subregions at least 2.7 m (clause 5.12). It's a rule for designing the building, but worth remembering when you lower a ceiling.

What not to do without a specialist

• Load-bearing walls and floor slabs. Only non-load-bearing partitions may be removed - the route item “Demolish partitions” says the same. Whether a wall is load-bearing is decided by the building design and a structural designer, not by the crew.
• Gas. A stove or gas water heater is moved and connected only by the gas service under contract. The extractor isn't cut into the vent shaft instead of the grille.
• Shared risers, vent shafts, the service panel. These are the building's common property: work on them is agreed with building management.

How alterations are usually approved

The procedure is described in articles 26-28 of the Housing Code. In general terms:

1. Design. Have a design for the alteration prepared by an organisation entitled to do so.
2. Application. Submit an application to the body that approves alterations, with the design, the technical passport, the property documents and the consent of family members living there. If the building's common property is affected, the owners' consent may be needed.
3. Decision. Wait for the approval decision - work starts after it.
4. Work - according to the design.
5. Acceptance. Completion of the alteration is confirmed by a certificate from an acceptance commission, after which the technical passport is updated.

The exact list of documents, the deadlines and where to apply are in the current wording of articles 26-28 of the Housing Code at pravo.gov.ru and at the body that approves alterations in your city.

What happens if you don't get approval

Under article 29 of the Housing Code, alterations made without approval or in breach of the design are considered unauthorised. Under the same article, the owner may be required to restore the premises to their previous state. A court may keep the alteration if it doesn't violate people's rights and legitimate interests and doesn't threaten their life and health, but this is decided case by case.

If you're buying a resale flat, compare the EGRN title extract and the technical passport with what you see: a previous owner's unapproved alteration becomes your problem when you sell. More in Renovating a resale flat: what to check.

Checklist before removing or moving anything

• It's clear whether the work changes the technical passport.
• The wall is definitely not load-bearing - confirmed by the building design or a structural designer.
• The new bathroom and kitchen won't end up above other people's rooms.
• Gas, shared risers and vent shafts aren't touched without the gas service and building management.
• If approval is needed, it's obtained before work starts.
• After the work - the acceptance commission certificate and a new technical passport.

How to run it in the Doma app

Layout decisions are made at the “Planning” stage: what moves, where the wet areas and the kitchen go. More about that stage is in Renovation planning: what to decide before work starts. Keep the design, the approval decision, the certificate and the new technical passport in the “Documents” tab → “Contracts”: you'll need them when you sell. Master Kistya will answer questions about moving a bathroom or kitchen using the same standards and show the source.