Government suggests to allow the privatization of damaged or destroyed housing

The Government has endorsed a proposal by the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine to amend regulations and allow the privatization of housing damaged or destroyed as a result of the war. The corresponding bill will be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada.

The proposed changes are to be made to the Law “On the Privatization of the State Housing Fund.” The aim is to clarify the list of housing units that are not subject to privatization.

Currently, the law does not address the privatization of apartments and houses that are in a state of collapse due to damage or destruction. At the same time, it is proposed to improve the document that serves as the basis for housing privatization in order to simplify the procedure for privatizing damaged or destroyed housing and to clearly define the procedure in cases where housing has become unsafe as a result of hostilities, terrorist acts, or sabotage caused by russian aggression.

This will allow residents of such housing to receive compensation for damaged or destroyed property.

“Under current legislation, people living in non-privatized state-owned housing are merely tenants. If such housing is damaged or destroyed, they cannot receive compensation. We propose changing this situation so that those who are eligible can privatize their housing and receive support from the state. We hope that Parliament will support these changes in the near future,” said Natalia Kozlovska, Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development.

Currently, only homeowners whose property rights are registered in the State Register of Real Property Rights are eligible for compensation.

The changes are expected to streamline the privatization process and allow people living in state- and municipally-owned housing to more quickly register ownership of damaged or destroyed housing and receive compensation for its loss or for its restoration.