Proposal for amnesty for undocumented houses.
This proposal was made by MP Kamal Jafarov during the discussion of the draft law “On the execution of the state budget of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2025” at today’s session of the Milli Majlis.
The MP stated that there are currently more than 500,000 undocumented houses in Azerbaijan: “Although measures have been taken at various times to resolve this issue, a systematic and comprehensive reform is needed. The recognition of property rights is a very fundamental issue. Today, people living in undocumented houses cannot register. Because they cannot register, they do not have full access to state services in their area and cannot get gas connected to their homes. When the head of the family passes away, the right of inheritance is not automatically recognized, and they cannot legally transfer it to their children.
In the event of a divorce, they cannot make a legal claim to the apartment. Undocumented houses are currently sold for 20-30 percent less than their value and are not accepted as collateral by banks. In other words, a citizen cannot turn their home into capital to start a small business. I understand that this is a very complex issue and the responsibility is heavy. There are many risky aspects. However, there is world experience and Turkish experience regarding undocumented houses. In Turkey, within the framework of the ‘Imar Barış’ (Zoning Peace) program in 2018, more than 7 million undocumented houses received title deeds by paying an initial fee of 3% of their value. We can apply a similar experience. With the exception of houses in protection zones for transport and energy lines, risky areas, strategic lands, and disputed houses, title deeds can be issued for undocumented houses. This could add billions of manats in additional and sustainable value to our economy, including the budget. Therefore, I propose that an amnesty be declared for undocumented houses – in the year of urban planning and architecture. A special program should be adopted in this regard. This issue should be resolved in stages.”