More than 780,000 Ukrainians reported damaged or destroyed housing as a result of Russian aggression. At the same time, about 150,000 applications for compensation from the state were filed.
This was stated by Olena Shulyak, MP, Chair of the Committee on the Organization of State Power, Regional Development, Local Self-Government and Urban Planning, head of the Servant of the People political party, in an interview with Ukrinform.
“We should distinguish between information messages when a person only reports destroyed or damaged housing and applications for compensation under the eRestoration program. There are more than 780,000 such information messages, and about 150,000 applications for compensation have been submitted,” Shulyak said.
According to her, the huge difference in numbers is due to the fact that many people cannot apply for compensation due to the lack of title documents, which could have been burned, left in the temporarily occupied territories or lost while fleeing the war.
“Compensation is provided only to the owners of the premises, and it is impossible to receive it without documents and records in the registers,” emphasized Shulyak.
At the same time, she noted that not all Ukrainians are willing to apply for compensation from the state, expecting reparations.
According to the MP, one of the main reasons for refusing to pay compensation is when it is not homeowners who apply, but, for example, tenants who want to make repairs and continue living in the house, “in such cases, the application is rejected.”
The head of the parliamentary committee said that there are cases when there are several co-owners of real estate, and they need to agree on the generation and sale of a housing certificate.
“We also record cases of abuse when people tried to fake photographic evidence of damage using Photoshop. Although there are few such cases,” the politician noted.
Shulyak recalled cases in the Kharkiv region when a local government commission was involved in a criminal conspiracy by issuing housing certificates for houses that had been destroyed before the full-scale invasion.
“Law enforcement is currently working on investigating these situations. Fortunately, the system is transparent, and abuses are quickly exposed,” the MP emphasized.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, only 291 families of internally displaced persons have used the eHouse program to purchase housing. The main barriers include the age of the housing and a significant down payment.
Source: MP names main reasons for refusals to pay under eRestoration program
