Over 36,000 families have applied for housing certificates
The government has allocated 15 billion hryvnias to assist internally displaced persons (IDPs) whose homes were destroyed due to hostilities. This article explains how to receive compensation under the "eRecovery" program, what to do if your property is located in temporarily occupied territories, and which categories of IDPs are eligible for rent subsidies – as reported by Kashtan NEWS.
How to take advantage of the "eRecovery" program
It is important to note that currently, only those IDPs whose destroyed housing was their only property and was located in areas controlled by Ukraine or in combat zones can receive compensation through "eRecovery." Those with destroyed property in occupied territories do not have this option at the moment.
IDPs who meet the current criteria for "eRecovery" can follow these steps depending on whether they have a housing certificate:
If you have IDP status but do not have a housing certificate:
- Register a report about the destroyed property via the application or the "Diia" portal.
- Submit a claim for compensation for the destroyed housing.
- Wait for the commission's decision and to receive the certificate.
If you have a certificate but have not yet reserved funds:
- Apply for a reservation through "Diia" or contact the CNAP.
- You will receive confirmation of fund availability within five working days.
- Within 30 days of the reservation confirmation, terminate ownership of the destroyed housing, find a suitable property, and conclude a purchase agreement with a notary.
If you have a certificate and have reserved funds:
- After notification, you have 30 days to terminate ownership of the destroyed housing and purchase new property.
If you meet the program criteria but have not received a reservation notification, check the accuracy of your data. To do this, you need to contact the nearest social protection office and update your information.
0 How much money has been allocated for the program
On February 5, the Vice Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine – Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba reported that the first tranche for IDPs whose housing was destroyed due to hostilities had been received by the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development. The amount of the tranche is 4.3 billion hryvnias.
As Oleksiy Kuleba noted, a total of 15 billion hryvnias has been earmarked for this purpose. Considering that the average cost of a housing certificate is currently 1.5 million hryvnias, this funding can provide approximately 10,000 Ukrainian families with new homes.
“What if you have already received a housing certificate under the eRecovery program for destroyed housing and applied for a reservation of funds? You are entitled to compensation under the new direction. No further action is required. Compliance with the above criteria is the only condition. In this case, you will receive a notification about the successful reservation of the certificate and will have 30 days to implement it and purchase a new home,” – wrote the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine on his Facebook page.
Under the "eRecovery" program, Ukrainians have submitted nearly 36,000 applications for housing certificates. Fourteen thousand certificates have already been issued, and over 5,000 applicants have obtained new housing in their chosen locations.
What to do if your destroyed housing is located in temporarily occupied territories
The main issue with the compensation mechanism under "eRecovery" is that it does not cover the largest category of victims. People whose destroyed housing is located in temporarily occupied territories cannot receive compensation, as the current procedure requires a physical inspection of the destroyed property.
On December 19, the Verkhovna Rada adopted draft law №11161, which pertains to compensation for destroyed or damaged property located specifically in temporarily occupied territories. On December 30, this law was submitted for the President of Ukraine's signature. According to current legislation, the President has four months to sign or reject it.
1 What the new law will provide for IDPs from temporarily occupied territories if the President signs it :
- Damaged real estate located in temporarily occupied territories or areas of active hostilities will be equated to destroyed properties, and their owners will be entitled to compensation;
- Owners will not need to submit documents (including photographic and video evidence) of the real estate before/after destruction;
- A physical inspection of the real estate will not be conducted;
- Owners of destroyed housing in temporarily occupied territories will relinquish their property rights to the state in exchange for compensation.
Currently, an electronic petition is posted on the President of Ukraine's website urging Volodymyr Zelensky to support and sign the adopted law №11161. The petition has already gathered over 14,400 votes out of the required 25,000.
Rent subsidy
From January 29, 2025, the state will partially compensate rent expenses for certain categories of IDPs.
IDPs who meet the following criteria can apply for a rent subsidy:
- IDPs who have relocated from temporarily occupied territories or areas where hostilities are taking place and do not own housing in conditionally safe regions of Ukraine with a total area exceeding 13.65 square meters per family member.
- IDPs whose living space, regardless of total area, has been destroyed or damaged (to the extent that it is uninhabitable), and information about such premises has been entered into the State Register of property damaged or destroyed as a result of hostilities, or there is a commission inspection act and/or a technical inspection report (prepared according to the resolution of April 19, 2022, № 473).
- IDPs who spend more than 20 percent of their household income on rent.
- IDPs who do not receive housing assistance and are not participants in the "Prykhystok" program.
“Special conditions are provided for families with an income of less than 5840 hryvnias per person: in this case, the subsidy will cover a larger percentage of the rent cost,” – explained the Pension Fund of Ukraine.
2 To receive the subsidy, a Standard Rental Agreement must be concluded between the owner and the tenant. This agreement can be obtained and signed at Pension Fund offices or online on the PFU website.
In addition to the Standard Agreement, an application for the subsidy must be submitted. This can be done by contacting any service center of the Pension Fund of Ukraine or CNAP. The application can also be submitted remotely through the PFU electronic services web portal or the "Pension Fund" mobile application using a qualified electronic signature.
The state will compensate taxes that must be paid on income received from rent for the landlord. Specifically, housing owners will be compensated for personal income tax and military levy, and individual entrepreneurs will receive a single tax rate based on the social value of the rent.
Kyrylo MYKHAILENKO