"I’m not touching the load-bearing structures, so it’s not a remodel":
what standard apartment renovation work requires approval

For most clients, the word "remodeling" conjures up images of a sledgehammer and a load-bearing wall, so a simple renovation seems far removed from the law. The law, however, categorizes work not by scope, but by whether it changes the layout of the space and its utility systems. Several lines of the most standard estimate fall under this classification, and they’re often skipped over with the same phrases.

The Housing Code distinguishes between two types of changes. Redevelopment under Article 25 refers to the installation, replacement, or relocation of utility lines and equipment, if this requires revision of the technical data sheet. Redevelopment, as amended by Federal Law No. 608-FZ of December 19, 2023, includes changes to boundaries or area, the creation of new spaces, and changes to the interior layout, including without changing the area. Both types must be approved before work begins.

Walls and layout

There are two very persistent beliefs associated with partitions. Both stem from the common practice of measuring apartment danger by the building’s strength: whether the floor will hold, whether a crack will appear in the façade. The law takes a broader view and also asks whether the apartment, after renovation, will match its plan in the state registry.

"I’m only touching the partitions, it’s just a renovation."

The phrase rests on a valid observation: demolishing a load-bearing wall could collapse the floor slabs, and such work is prohibited. Hence, the conclusion is that everything else is free.

Following the amendments to Federal Law 608, any change to the interior layout is considered a redevelopment. Moving a non-load-bearing partition, cutting a door in it, or combining a kitchen with a room means changing the plan, which means approval. In apartment renovation estimates , such items are listed between plastering and tiling, and nothing in them suggests that one of them requires approval from the authority that approves the redevelopment: under Article 26, this is the local administration; in Moscow, this work is carried out by the Moscow Housing Inspectorate. In Moscow, some such work, such as an opening in a non-load-bearing partition or a built-in closet, is carried out using a simplified procedure based on a sketch, but also through the inspectorate.

"In a new building without finishing, I put up the walls however I want."

An apartment with an open floor plan is sold as a blank slate, and the buyer understands this literally: there are no partitions, nothing to coordinate.

Moscow’s official portal cites the position of Moscow Housing Inspectorate experts: open floor plans are arbitrary. Where the house design calls for a kitchen and bathroom, a living room cannot be created, and the kitchen and bathroom cannot be expanded at the expense of living rooms. Renovations in such apartments begin with the design and its approval, not with the masonry work.

Pipes, radiators and ventilation

Misconceptions here are more dangerous, because the result is hidden under the tiles and screed. The error is discovered not when the renovation is completed, but later: when a stain appears on the ceiling of the neighbors below, or the range hood in the apartment above stops working. Correction is then required after the finished and paid-for finishes have been removed.

"I’m moving plumbing fixtures within the bathroom."

It seems that the bathroom’s boundary is the legal boundary: the room is the same, the riser is the same. But remodeling is defined by the relocation of equipment, not by extending beyond the wall. Replacing a toilet or sink in the same location doesn’t change the technical specifications and isn’t considered remodeling. Installing a shower stall instead of a bathtub or moving a kitchen sink in Moscow already requires approval, albeit under a simplified procedure.

"The heated floor and radiator on the loggia are part of the finishing."

Underfloor heating is sold alongside laminate flooring, and the same people who install the flooring insulate the loggia. This gives the impression that it’s all the same type of work.

Moscow’s redevelopment requirements (Appendix 1 to Moscow Government Resolution No. 508-PP) explicitly prohibit underfloor heating from common building heating and hot water systems. Relocating radiators connected to these systems to loggias and balconies is also prohibited, and combining a loggia with a room is prohibited. Electric underfloor heating is permitted if the allocated apartment has sufficient power. Other regions have their own requirements, so the list is verified locally.

"The box is in the way, I’ll take it down, it’s empty."

The box in the corner of the kitchen looks like a redundant drywall box, hiding a ventilation duct behind it. The same Moscow regulations prohibit reducing the cross-section of ducts or dismantling ventilation boxes, and after inspection, they require everything to be restored to its original state. The same applies to gas: a gasified kitchen cannot be combined with a room; a tightly closing door is required between them.

"I’ll do it now, I’ll legalize it later"

Remodeling projects go unnoticed for years, and the issue seems put off until the sale. Then it surfaces: the buyer checks the apartment against the latest technical documentation and, if there’s a discrepancy, asks for a price reduction or legalization of the remodeling.

According to Article 29 of the Housing Code, work carried out without approval is unauthorized. The owner is required to return the premises to their original condition within a timeframe set by the authority. The court may uphold the redevelopment if it does not infringe on the rights of others or pose a threat to life. If the redevelopment is not returned and the court upholds it, the apartment may be sold at public auction upon the authority’s request. Only what is permitted in principle is retroactively legalized: a demolished frame or radiator on a loggia will not receive approval.

Which of these phrases is actually true?

Finishing truly requires no paperwork: the city portal lists replacing linoleum with laminate or tile as work without approval. Load-bearing walls have also earned a reputation: according to the city portal, calculations are made and approval is obtained before opening a load-bearing wall, and the structure is reinforced. It’s also true that approval isn’t quick: under Article 26, a decision is made within 45 days of submitting the documents. Therefore, approval is the first item on the renovation schedule.