The main provisions of the Strategy for the Development of the Housing Sphere of the Russian Federation until 2025, which radically changed the state's ap-proach to the mechanism of providing the Russian population with affordable housing, are analyzed. It is noted that along with the traditional mechanism of providing the population with affordable housing through the mechanism of mortgage lending, an alternative mechanism is introduced -the provision of rental housing through a commercial and non-commercial format. The analysis of the legal framework of rental relations (employment relations) in the housing sector indicates the absence of a unified approach to the use of basic concepts (rent, hire, commercial rent) in relation to the problem under consideration. The author analyzes the historical and global experience in solving the housing problem for people with low incomes who are unable to improve their living conditions with the help of a loan secured by the acquired property. Based on the analysis of statistical data, the prerequisites for the formation of a civilized rental housing market in Russia and the Irkutsk region are considered and the main development trends are identified.

The tourism sector development has a multidirectional effect on the sustainable development of the region. Analysis of the tourism sector developments in the Baikal region demonstrates the positive dynamics of indicators characterizing the functioning of this field in the region. However, emerging opportunities trigger a number of threats, too. The present paper was aimed at selecting and evaluating the most significant threats caused by the tourism sector development in the Baikal region from the perspective of Russian-Chinese cooperation and at selecting appropriate strategies for managing them in the aspect of the sustainable development of the region. Based on the methods of expert estimations as well as on using international standards of risk management, the authors verify the threats resulting from the development of Russian-Chinese cooperation in the tourism sector. According to the analysis, there is a high risk level on a number of environmental, economic and infrastructural threats. Therefore, both the state and the business community are to develop preventive measures to mitigate the negative consequences. The authors establish the priorities for threat management in the aspect of sustainable regional development and determine the directions for their reduction. The results obtained can be advantageous in building up a tourism development strategy in the Baikal region and in working out measures for the sustainable development of the region.