- registration - at a hostel though not living there....forget it..

[Benedikt]

As a result of a check of one of the hostels on Parshin Street, police officers revealed that the director general of this organization had fictitiously registered foreign citizens with migration records in January of this year, knowing that they would not live there.

-An investigation of the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Khoroshevo-Mnevniki district of Moscow opened a criminal case on the grounds of a crime under Article 322.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Fictitious registration of a foreign citizen or stateless person at the place of residence in the Russian Federation”. In respect of the suspect, a preventive measure in the form of a written undertaking not to leave the place and proper behavior was chosen.- ( meaning in clear terms, not to leave town and await a court-case....)

i just copied that part out of my local -knock and drop - newspaper. Police and Immigration also DO check on hostels. and sooner or later one is found out. better go the legal way. pays for sure in the long run. the article does not mention who was registered there fictionally and how many people or nationalities were involved. but for sure it was more then one...

it is also not unusual that in bigger apartments - hostels - are being set up. double and triple bunkbeds, 10 to a room. and most of the time, annoyed neighbors, who were maybe not invited for - a piece of the cake -, call the law when the noise is to loud or unsavory situations arise in the yards...

[Salsero]

Well, then what should she/he do? If there is no landlord who is willing to do the bureaucracy of registering him/her. Leave the country?
Or even worst, living in a shithole he/she doesn't really like, just for the sake of being registered somewhere?!
But I agree with you that the law is the law. There is no escape. Specially as a foreigner.

[Hans.KK]

Well, then what should she/he do? If there is no landlord who is willing to do the bureaucracy of registering him/her. Leave the country?

I think you can boil it down to "Everything has it's price tag", so be ready to pay some more money for the extra service you need, not all landlords will be ready to give the service no matter what you are willing to pay for it, for some people it is just better to save 10 rubles on tax, than have to pay tax of 1000 rubles in extra income, that is just how human nature is.
But if you are on a low budget you do have a problem, and may have to leave the country.

[nicklcool]

I think you can boil it down to "Everything has it's price tag", so be ready to pay some more money for the extra service you need, not all landlords will be ready to give the service no matter what you are willing to pay for it, for some people it is just better to save 10 rubles on tax, than have to pay tax of 1000 rubles in extra income, that is just how human nature is.
But if you are on a low budget you do have a problem, and may have to leave the country.

Salsero's whole question boils down to that common question in life, who needs whom more? 🤣

I am so sick of moves but our move in March taught me a few things, having a "big" dog (Lab mix), infant, and "little" child (not school age yet) made us the Russian version of Deplorables , but once I accepted that we wouldn't get the apartment that's a great deal for the quality of renovations, things got easier.

Once I started calling the apartments that were further from the metro or center, of a lesser quality renovation-wise, in an older building, etc., sure, I still got the initial "no registrations, no how!" response from the landlord.
But it was quite funny how after a week or two, we started to get calls from those same realators about how their client was now open to registrations, for no fee, no less!
.... So I guess we started to fall into the category of them needing us, more than we needed them!

Salsero and all you other expats out there, there really is way more supply in this Moscow rental market, than there is demand. They need you more than you need them!!
Be a little more assertive in what you expect from the landlord, you should feel OK asking for some of the concessions (which are just standard for us in the West) like a five-day grace period for payments, no apartment visits more frequently than quarterly, landlord pays for normal wear-and-tear repairs, etc.

... But you gotta start your search EARLY.

Good luck on finding that elusive landlord who provides registrations!

[Benedikt]

in my opinion it is the best these days to work only with a good and reliable agency. dont bother with AVITO or the likes, most of the -private - offers are agency anyway. and it is not only the registration that counts.obvious this is the first and most important thing for anyone, not only a foreigner. AND as it is being suggested here over and over again, do not let everything to the last moment,day or week. you are opening yourself to be taken for a ride.do not insist that you MUST live inside the ring road.

Moscow's Metro is so good and fast.

We live for instance in Strogino, since many years, out nearly on the -edge , more or less walking distance - of the MKAD. The Metro takes me 20 Minutes to the center. With the care we are ALWAYS stuck either on Leningradskaya, the 3rd Ring. And then it is still the hunting for parking...Across the road where we live, we have a 2000 ha big -recreation park-. The dogs can run around free if the owners have them trained well. we can swim in the river, since it is BEFORE Moscow it is still clean. we have beavers, and what else in the river.

Do things legally. early enough and correct, in good time. and you will have a good and quiet live in Moscow.