About 7,000 non-privatised apartments may become communal in Mykolaiv

In Mykolaiv, after the cancellation of the Housing Code, almost all non-privatised apartments will automatically become communal property.

This was stated by Ihor Nabatov, first deputy director of the Department of Housing and Communal Services of the Mykolaiv City Council, at a briefing on 6 November, NikVesti writes.

According to him, the adoption of the new draft law «On the Basic Principles of Housing Policy» will stop the privatisation of housing, so those who have not yet registered their property will lose this opportunity. Currently, we are talking about about 7,000 apartments in the city that will become communal.

«In fact, the Housing Code now states that all housing on the territory of Ukraine is either state or communal property. But there is a law on the privatisation of state and municipal housing stock, which allows for the privatisation of certain housing. In fact, today, if you find an apartment in Mykolaiv that has not been privatised, 90% of it is communal, and 10% is state-owned,» said Nabatov.

The city authorities have already started preparing for the changes. The municipal enterprise «Svii Dim» is taking an inventory of these properties to determine what has already been privatised, what has not, what condition the housing is in and whether people live there.

«What will happen next is one of the issues we are currently discussing with the international organisation IVO regarding possible assistance in carrying out repairs. If the law is passed this year — and there is serious talk that this could happen at the end of the year or early next year — the entire process of privatisation of the housing stock will actually stop. The law on privatisation will be cancelled along with the Housing Code, and everything that remains unprivatised will most likely become communal, and we will be forced to bring it into proper condition to use it for social housing,» the official said.

It is planned to develop a standard repair project for these apartments and seek funding for the restoration. Even if only 10% of the 7,000 apartments need repairs, this is about 700 facilities, which puts a significant burden on the city budget.

The housing department also cooperates with the international organisation Caritas Ukraine, which helps to restore non-privatised apartments for internally displaced persons.

«Thanks to these changes, the city will be able to use non-privatised housing more efficiently and provide social housing for residents in need,» summed up Ihor Nabatov.

The mayor reminds residents of the possibility of privatising their apartments. Privatised housing gives the right to compensation for damaged or destroyed housing or a housing certificate. Non-privatised apartments do not receive such support.

As you know, on 13 October, Hanover and Mykolaiv-based «Svii Dim» signed a cooperation agreement in the field of housing management.