Not Just a Trend: Stroller Rooms and Storage Spaces as a Service and an Investment Opportunity
How stroller rooms help save living space and why storage rooms are an attractive investment, how these spaces differ fundamentally in new residential buildings and apart-hotels, and why they are becoming a necessary part of infrastructure—this was explored by "New Prospect."
Elena Akkuratova, Marketing Director of "Ohta Group":
— Stroller rooms and storage spaces are no longer just an option but an important element of a well-thought-out residential complex infrastructure. Most modern developers include them in their projects. Stroller rooms are located on the ground floors, occupying 5–10 m² per entrance, allowing residents to conveniently store children's and sports transport. In the "Ekographia. Quarter near Peterhof" residential complex, spacious stroller rooms are available in each entrance, even where there are only 12 apartments per section.
Storage rooms can be built into apartments or located in underground parking lots or technical floors, typically ranging from 2 to 6 m² in size. In the "Ekographia. Quarter near Peterhof" project, we have provided storage rooms for every apartment, enabling owners to store seasonal and bulky items or sports equipment with direct access from the elevator lobby. Last year, 86% of our apartment buyers purchased a storage room, with some acquiring two, as our project allows for this (the number of storage rooms exceeds the number of apartments).
Pavel Melnikov, Director of Project Development at Setl Group:
— The creation of stroller rooms and storage spaces contributes to more efficient use of available space and helps maintain order in the home. These spaces are in demand among residents.
Storage rooms are purchased by residents as private property and used at their discretion, for example, for storing seasonal items, sports equipment, temporarily unused furniture, or household appliances. However, regulations prohibit storing hazardous materials such as chemicals or flammable substances.
Unlike storage rooms, stroller rooms, according to regulations, can only be used for storing strollers. Including such auxiliary infrastructure increases the project's construction costs. However, in modern residential complexes, developers who care about the comfort of future residents consider such infrastructure essential.
In Setl Group's "comfort" and "high comfort" class projects, we design bicycle parking areas, equip stroller rooms in entrances, and allocate special spaces for storage.
Denis Rozanov, Head of Sales at Well:
— Storage rooms (kellers) for personal belongings have long been in demand in residential spaces. They are often an integral feature of complexes across various levels, from business-class to mass-market. Typically, these are 7–10 m² spaces located on the ground floors. Amidst the trend of increasing functionality in layouts across all classes and segments, they serve well in optimizing interior space.
Separate storage rooms are highly sought after, partly due to their limited availability and advantageous cost. Kellers are also often purchased for rental purposes, making them a profitable investment.
In recent years, this option has gained popularity among developers of serviced apartments. For example, the Well apart-hotel, which opened in the fall of 2024, includes 97 storage rooms totaling 950 m². These spaces were not sold openly but were acquired by Well investors. The average payback period for such assets is estimated at about four years. By the time the apart-hotel was launched, all storage rooms had been sold, confirming their investment appeal as real estate assets.
Ksenia Fedorova, Analyst-Consultant at NF Group:
— In recent years, developers have increasingly included shared storage infrastructure, particularly stroller/bicycle rooms, in mass-market residential projects. The inclusion of shared storage areas enhances a residential complex's attractiveness to buyers. Such features help conserve apartment space, thereby improving living comfort. In new business-class buildings, such infrastructure is less common. In elite residential complexes, shared storage infrastructure is almost nonexistent—currently, storage areas for strollers and bicycles are planned in only three new developments in St. Petersburg’s primary market.
Natalia Kukushkina, Head of Product and Analytics at CDS Group:
— Stroller rooms and storage rooms are different types of spaces with different ownership structures. Stroller rooms are common property, whereas storage rooms are usually individual units with their own cadastral numbers that can be privately owned. Moreover, you can purchase a storage room in a building without living there.
A storage room is a standalone unit with its own meter. The owner pays utility bills independently and can sell or acquire additional units at any time. Storage rooms are usually located in basements and are used for storing seasonal items such as tires, sports equipment, and other belongings. Their size ranges from 2 to 10 m², with prices typically ranging from 250,000 to 1 million rubles. Such spaces consistently enjoy strong demand in our projects.
Stroller rooms, on the other hand, belong to the entire building and are available to all residents. Proper coordination among residents is essential for conflict-free use. Situations vary, and people must agree on what and how much can be stored in a stroller room. In smaller buildings, this is usually manageable.
In recent years, stroller rooms have become a necessity in new developments. Their size typically ranges from 10 to 40 m², and even buyers without children inquire whether such spaces are included in the project. Their presence is a sign of a modern home.
Stroller rooms increase the area of non-saleable space in a building. A developer could instead create commercial spaces or additional apartments. However, their inclusion enhances the project’s appeal to buyers, some of whom are even willing to pay a little extra for a home with this feature. Nevertheless, developers do not derive direct financial benefits from stroller rooms. Residents should also be prepared for slightly higher utility bills due to the presence of additional shared spaces.
Alexey Ilyukhin, Deputy Head of the Investment Center at Becar Asset Management:
— Current market trends dictate that developers must include stroller rooms in new residential buildings. It's hard to imagine a modern development without one—unless it’s a budget project in a remote area. Nearly every building constructed in the past seven years includes stroller rooms.
Storage rooms, meanwhile, have gained strong demand in recent years. Developers eagerly build and sell them separately. While apartments include built-in storage spaces, there are often too few, leaving residents in need of additional storage.
The increasing popularity of storage rooms is partly due to the trend of shrinking apartment sizes. In St. Petersburg, there are now apartments as small as 16–17 m². Storage becomes a pressing issue in such spaces.
Developers place storage rooms in areas that would otherwise go unused—such as basements or windowless floors where apartments cannot be integrated. For example, LSR now sells 19–20 m² studio apartments while offering storage rooms on the same floors. Buyers live in their apartments while storing skis, homemade preserves, and potatoes in storage rooms. In St. Petersburg, storage room sizes range from 1.5 to 35 m². Their prices depend on size, the complex’s class, and its location. Storage rooms are popular not only among residents but also among small-scale investors.
Victoria Soboleva, Owner of the "Nado Brat" Real Estate Agency:
— Competition among developers is not just about marketing but also about product quality. The better the product, the better the sales. Residential complexes now serve as showrooms for residents who evaluate the quality and decide whether to stay with the same developer.
Stroller rooms are highly valued by residents because they keep apartments and hallways free of clutter, such as strollers, scooters, and bicycles. Their presence has little impact on the price per square meter but requires additional maintenance costs.
Every shared space demands attention and resources from the management company, and ultimately, these costs appear in residents’ utility bills.