On 23 February 2023, the Verkhovna Rada adopted Ukraine’s law on compensation for damage to and destruction of certain categories of real estate caused by hostilities, terrorist acts and sabotage resulting from the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine.
What can an owner receive if their flat has been destroyed?
A housing certificate is a document giving the holder the right to purchase property of a specified value. It can be used to acquire housing available on Ukraine’s property market. Financial compensation to build new housing is also possible.
What assistance is available?
Compensation for damage may take the form of:
- Work to restore the property, including design documentation, expert assessments and construction work.
- Provision of building materials for this work.
Who can receive compensation, and for which property?
Compensation covers damaged or destroyed:
- Flats.
- Houses.
- Other residential premises, private houses, garden houses and holiday homes.
- Construction projects that have been damaged or destroyed.
Who can receive compensation for destroyed real estate?
- Property owners.
- People who invested in construction, provided structural and external elements had been installed.
- Construction clients.
- Holders of special property rights to unfinished construction projects.
- Members of housing or housing construction cooperatives who have paid for their housing but have not yet registered ownership.
- Heirs of any of the above groups.
- Apartment co-owner associations, housing cooperatives and building managers.
Who is ineligible?
- People subject to sanctions.
- People convicted of offences against the foundations of Ukraine’s national security.
- Heirs of damaged or destroyed real estate that belonged to such people.
How is compensation allocated?
Compensation is provided in the order applications are submitted by residents of individual settlements and according to the chosen form of compensation.
Priority is given to:
- Combat veterans, people with war-related disabilities and other people specified by law.
- People called up during mobilisation who have not been granted combat veteran status.
- Large families.
- People with Group I or Group II disabilities.
How do you apply for compensation for destroyed property?
Applications can be submitted:
- Electronically through Diia.
- On paper through a notary, an Administrative Service Centre or social protection authorities.
A special commission decides whether to grant compensation within 30 days.
How can a housing certificate be used?
A housing certificate is an electronic document guaranteeing state funding for the purchase of residential property. It confirms the amount the state guarantees towards that purchase.
If compensation is approved, the applicant receives a housing certificate valid for five years. It can be used to buy a flat or other residential premises on the new-build or resale market in any settlement in Ukraine except temporarily occupied areas and areas where hostilities are ongoing.
Can housing purchased with a certificate or compensation be sold?
Property purchased with compensation or a housing certificate cannot be sold for five years. A notary registers this restriction when the documents are completed.
What if the replacement housing costs less than the destroyed home?
The difference is intended to be reimbursed from reparations or funds received from the Russian Federation as compensation for damage.
