If you have not managed to privatize your apartment, you can do so at any convenient time without queues or fuss.
Whether to privatize housing or not is a voluntary decision of a citizen. It should be taken into account that after July 1, 2016, unprivatized apartments will be reclassified as residential premises for commercial use.
Privatization allows one to become the full owner of an apartment, giving the opportunity to dispose of this real estate at one's own discretion (sell, gift, bequeath, leave as inheritance). At the same time, the market value of housing significantly exceeds the appraised value of the apartment during privatization.
There is a list of residential premises that are not subject to privatization. It includes: housing for social, commercial use (unless otherwise determined by the President of the Republic of Belarus); residential premises in dormitories, as well as those located in reconstructed or capital repaired residential buildings; in case of redevelopment (re-equipment) of apartments during reconstruction (capital repair) of a building from the moment of commencement of work until its completion, and others.
If unauthorized redevelopment has been carried out in the apartment, which has not been approved in the manner prescribed by Article 17 of the Housing Code of the Republic of Belarus, a decision will be made to refuse the privatization of the apartment. In this case, you should contact the RUP "Vitebsk Agency for State Registration and Land Cadastre" to call a technician and draw up a statement of the technical characteristics of the apartment. After that, obtain approval (permission) for the unauthorized redevelopment from the district administration of the city. If the district administration refuses, the residential premises must be restored by the tenant to its previous state.
If the apartment is located in a housing construction cooperative building, it does not need to be privatized. It is necessary to obtain a certificate from the chairman of the housing construction cooperative stating that the share has been paid, and to register the apartment as property with the RUP "Vitebsk Agency for State Registration and Land Cadastre".
Certain categories of citizens have the right to privatize an apartment with benefits established by current legislation: Heroes of Belarus, Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of Socialist Labor, full Cavaliers of the Orders of Fatherland, Glory, Labor Glory; veterans and disabled individuals of the Great Patriotic War, former underage prisoners; veterans and disabled individuals of combat operations in other countries; persons affected by the Chernobyl disaster; disabled individuals from childhood, born before July 1, 1992.
Military personnel with 20 calendar years of military service (excluding periods of study in higher educational institutions), judges, and prosecutors have the right to transfer ownership of apartments provided to them before April 8, 2006, in the manner prescribed by law, in accordance with Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 195 of April 3, 2008.
A certain category of citizens residing in commercial residential premises, formerly service housing, provided to them before April 8, 2006, and having the right to acquire these residential premises as property as of March 31, 2014, have been granted the right to privatize on a compensatory basis. In this case, the privatization of such apartments is possible in installments over 20 years, provided that an initial payment of at least 10 percent is made.
If the apartment is located in a housing construction cooperative building, it does not need to be privatized.
Since April 1, 2014, a benefit has been in effect for the gratuitous transfer of ownership of occupied residential premises obtained as a result of the demolition of a dwelling owned by a citizen due to the seizure of land for state needs. The residential premises obtained by this citizen are privatized free of charge if the legislation in force at the time of demolition did not provide for the payment of monetary compensation for the demolished residential house, structures, and associated plantings. In the event of the death of this citizen, the residential premises are transferred free of charge to his family members who jointly received the residential premises with him and reside therein.
When privatizing housing, re-registered nominal checks "Housing" can be used.
"Housing".The cost of the acquired housing directly depends on the index of changes in the cost of construction and installation works, which is applied when calculating it. The index increases monthly, and the later a citizen applies for privatization, the higher the cost of the privatized apartment.
To submit an application, the tenant of a state-owned apartment and all registered adult family members must come with passports (for children under 14, birth certificates must be presented), documents confirming the right to benefits, and "Housing" checks (if available) to the department for working with the population on a заявительному principle "one window" of the Vitebsk City Executive Committee (Lenin Street, 32, office No. 100). The City Executive Committee will make a decision within a month.
The validity period of the privatization decision is 1 year. During this time, it is necessary to notarize the sale and purchase agreement (privatization agreement). To do this, the notary must be provided with a receipt for payment of 10 percent of the privatization amount. After that, the agreement must be registered with the Vitebsk Agency for State Registration and Land Cadastre and obtain a registration certificate and a technical passport.
If it is impossible to privatize the apartment at full cost, it can be done in installments. Immediately, 10 percent of the apartment's cost is paid, and the remaining 90 percent is distributed in equal installments over 40 years (the specific term is determined by the citizen independently - the debt can be paid off in 10 years, or in five), i.e., it is possible to pay with a larger amount monthly, but not less than the amount determined by the installment plan. The provided installment plan is not indexed and does not change. In essence, it is an interest-free loan.
Marina ARESHCHENKO,
Head of the Housing Policy Department of the City Executive Committee