Residents of Mykolaiv are unable to receive compensation for their destroyed homes because their paperwork is not in order

Residents of Mykolaiv are unable to receive compensation following the shelling because their homes are not officially registered. Illustrative photo: Mykolaiv Regional State Administration

When assessing damaged or destroyed homes in Mykolaiv, a problem arises because not all residents have the necessary documentation for their flats or houses. As a result, people are subsequently unable to receive compensation. In particular, during the shelling of the Solyani neighbourhood in August, it emerged that, according to the documents, one of the buildings was five times smaller than it actually was.

This came to light today, 28 August, during a press conference on the reconstruction of homes damaged by shelling in Mykolaiv, according to NikVesti.

Olena Tuova, head of the Department of State Architectural and Construction Control at Mykolaiv City Council, reported on the problem with housing documentation during inspections.

«The first thing we come up against during inspections is that people lack the necessary documents. We constantly emphasise that flats need to be privatised and that the relevant property documents must be brought up to date. But, unfortunately, with every round of shelling, we find that either the flat has not been privatised or the inheritance has not been formalised. If the inheritance has not been formalised, the person will receive compensation once it has been formalised,» noted Olena Tuova.

Olena Tuova, Head of the State Architectural and Construction Control Department, and Ihor Nabatov, First Deputy Director of the Department of Municipal Services. Photo: NikVesti

She pointed out that if a building has been destroyed, the situation is even worse. As an example, she cited the shelling of the Solyani neighbourhood, where, according to the documents, one of the destroyed buildings was recorded as being five times smaller than it actually was. Because of this, people may not receive compensation.

«The most recent shelling in Solyani — unfortunately, in many cases there, the records… For example, a house is listed as 30 square metres, but in reality it is 150 square metres. And there are no documents to prove this. The house has been destroyed, and the person will receive nothing. So the only way to formalise the paperwork at the moment is probably through a court ruling. And I’m not sure the court will recognise ownership of property that, in reality, no longer exists,» explained the head of the State Architectural and Construction Control Department.

She urged the residents of Mykolaiv to formalise their property documents, as the shelling continues.

«So, a request to everyone: get your documents in order. Unfortunately, the war is continuing, shelling is continuing, and property may be destroyed,» noted Olena Tuova.

Ihor Nabatov, First Deputy Director of the Department of Municipal Services, also reported that a similar situation exists with damaged housing where no documents are available.

«It’s literally the same story: on paper it’s 30 square metres, but in reality it’s 150. So it’s not even clear what to record in the «eVidnovlennia» service for the damaged property,» noted Ihor Nabatov.

As a reminder, during the shelling of the Solyani neighbourhood, which was mentioned at the press conference, an 89-year-old woman was killed and seven other people were injured. Two girls, aged 2 and 12, were injured.

Two private houses were destroyed, and a further seven homes were damaged. In addition, a car was damaged and windows were smashed in three blocks of flats.