Renting in Tbilisi New Builds: Districts, Checks, Pros and Cons

The search ‘ქირავდება ახალი აშენებული’, meaning ‘for rent in a new build’, is one of the most frequent in Tbilisi, especially for Samgori, Krtsanisi and Chugureti. A new building promises a lift, parking and a fresh finish, but it has its own quirks, from the ‘shell’ condition to service fees and construction outside the window. Here is what the terms in listings mean, which districts have the most new buildings and what to check before signing.

What ‘shell’ means: black, white and green

These terms come from sales listings but turn up in rentals too, so they are worth understanding.

• Black shell means bare walls with no screed, plaster or internal partitions. Such flats are not rented out.
• White shell means a floor screed, plastered walls, windows and an entrance door, with utilities brought to the flat. It is not yet habitable: there are no plumbing fixtures, kitchen or finish. In rentals a white shell is rare and usually goes with a long contract where the tenant renovates at their own expense.
• Green shell means a turnkey finish: floors, bathroom fittings, doors, sometimes a kitchen. This is the condition in which developers hand flats to owners, and owners let them to tenants.

If a rental listing says ‘ახალი აშენებული’ without further detail, it is, as a rule, a green shell with a finish. But ask directly: what exactly has been done and is there furniture.

Why some new builds are let unfurnished

Many flats in new buildings were bought as investments and handed over by the developer in turnkey condition but without furniture or appliances. Owners are not always willing to spend on furnishing, so listings often say ‘unfurnished’ or ‘partly furnished’. For a tenant this is a drawback if you arrived with one suitcase, and an advantage if you plan to stay long and want to furnish the place your way. A common compromise: the owner buys the essentials (bed, fridge, washing machine) and you commit to a year or more.

Service fee, parking, lifts and security

New buildings come with things older housing almost never has:

• Service fee is a fixed monthly charge for building maintenance: lifts, security, cleaning of entrances and grounds. The amount depends on the building and the class of the complex; as a rule the tenant pays it, and it should be written into the contract separately from rent and utilities.
• Parking is underground or in the yard. A space may be included in the rent, let separately or not exist at all; if you have a car, ask in advance.
• Lifts matter in tall buildings: how many there are and whether they all work. In just-completed buildings the lift is sometimes not yet running.
• Security and concierge are not everywhere; their presence affects the size of the service fee.

It helps to keep three amounts separate in the contract: rent, the service fee and metered utilities. That way there is no argument later about whether building maintenance was included in the price you discussed at the viewing.

Build quality and developers

Tbilisi builds a lot, and quality varies. Large developers with a track record generally deliver on time and with working infrastructure, though even they have problems with lifts and landscaping in the first years. Smaller companies vary more: thin walls between flats, poor sound insulation, savings on facades and entrances. Do not go by the company name; look at the specific building: how the entrance looks a year or two after completion, whether the lifts work, whether there are cracks or damp patches, and what neighbours say.

Where the new builds are

• Samgori, with Varketili and Vazisubani, has the most affordable new builds in the city; far from the centre, but the metro is fast.
• Didube and the Digomi area: large new quarters, Tbilisi Mall nearby, Didube and Gotsiridze metro stations.
• Saburtalo: the Nutsubidze plateau and the upper part of the district; mid-range prices, Delisi metro nearby.
• Krtsanisi: new buildings by the Kura embankment, quieter than the centre, no metro.
• Isani and Chugureti: individual new buildings near the metro and the railway station, next to historic neighbourhoods.

In the centre, in Vake, Vera and Sololaki, new buildings are fewer and noticeably more expensive.

Risks: unfinished buildings and construction noise

• Unfinished buildings. A building may be occupied but not officially commissioned: no permanent electricity or gas, a lift that does not run, an unfinished yard. Ask whether the building has been commissioned and look out for temporary cables and generators.
• Construction noise. New buildings rarely stand alone; the next block is almost certainly going up nearby. Look out of the window and ask neighbours when it will be finished.
• Settling and defects. In the first year after completion cracks, plumbing and ventilation problems are possible. Agree with the owner who fixes them and at whose expense.
• Utilities. Check whether gas is connected (some new buildings have none and heat only with electricity, which shows in winter bills) and which internet provider is already in the building.

Pros and cons in brief

Pros: lift, parking, security, new utilities, fresh finish, often spacious layouts and balconies.

Cons: service fee on top of rent, often unfurnished, thin walls, construction nearby, and in new areas weak infrastructure and a long way to the centre.

What to check at the viewing

1. Whether the building is commissioned and has permanent electricity, gas and water.
2. The service fee and who pays it, fixed in the contract.
3. Whether the lifts work and how many there are.
4. Parking: whether it is included.
5. Furniture and appliances: what stays.
6. Type of heating and typical winter bills.
7. What is being built nearby and when it will end.
8. Sound insulation: stand in silence for a minute.

Where to search

Owner listings from Telegram channels for Tbilisi new builds are gathered on the district pages; start with Samgori, Didube and Saburtalo, where new buildings are most numerous.