How to recover lost real estate documents: an algorithm of actions

Losing your housing documents does not mean losing your ownership rights. Find out how to restore real estate documents in 2025, what certificates you need, where to go, and when you will have to go to court

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With the outbreak of full-scale war, many Ukrainians lost important documents for their apartments or houses. Leaving in a hurry, people left them at home or lost them during the move. However, it is important to remember that losing a document does not mean losing ownership rights. Below, we will look at which documents confirm ownership, how to restore them, what heirs should do, and when it is necessary to go to court.

What documents confirm ownership of real estate?

Title documents are necessary for any legal actions involving real estate — purchase, sale, donation, or participation in compensation programs for destroyed property. These include:

● donation agreement;

● purchase and sale agreement;

● privatization act;

● certificate obtained from local authorities or the Unified Register;

● state acts of ownership of land;

● certificate of inheritance;

● court decision on a settlement agreement between homeowners;

● valid court decision;

● certificate from property registers;

● extract from the State Register.

These documents confirm legal ownership of the property or land.

By the way, on Visit Ukraine you can take out express property insurance. To insure your home, you only need your passport and identification code. The policy covers losses in the event of fire, flooding, natural disasters, unlawful actions of third parties, and even the consequences of military actions, and costs from €40 per year. This is reliable protection for your home, even if you do not currently live there.

How to restore real estate documents?

The first step is to report the loss. This is important because in case of fraud, an official statement will help protect your rights. The procedure is as follows:

1. File a report of lost documents with the police.

2. If desired, publish a notice of loss in local print media.

3. Contact the Administrative Services Center and order a duplicate certificate of ownership.

4. Resubmit the documents to the Administrative Services Center for registration of ownership.

The administrator will forward the data to the state registrar, and after verification, you will receive an updated document.

What documents are required for restoration?

The ASC or notary will request the originals of the following documents:

● Ukrainian passport;

● identification code;

● technical passport for the property;

● duplicate certificate of ownership.

Please note the date of receipt of the original certificate of ownership. If it was issued after January 2013, the State Register contains all the necessary information. It is this data that forms the basis for legal transactions with real estate. Therefore, if the information is available in the register, the owner's rights to dispose of the property cannot be restricted.

It is more difficult to obtain a duplicate of a certificate registered before 2013. You need to access the information from the Register of Property Rights (this is the archive of the State Register of Property Rights). The process can be expedited if you have a copy of the lost document — if available, it is worth submitting it. Another source that can help you restore documents is the archive of the Bureau of Technical Inventory (BTI).

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How to restore a technical passport for an apartment?

The technical passport contains all the details about the property: layout, living and total area, location of windows and walls, etc. Therefore, this document is extremely important for the owner of the apartment. It is easier to restore than legal documents:

1. Order the technical passport restoration service from the technical inventory bureau;

2. Pay for the service (cost up to UAH 6,000);

3. Provide the bureau employee with access to your property so that they can make a sketch plan of the dwelling.

Usually, a new technical passport is prepared within 21 days.

If the owner has died: restoring documents for heirs

First of all, the heir must begin the process of acquiring the inheritance. The state allows six months from the date of the owner's death for this. If a person has inherited property for which there are no ownership documents, they must restore their right to own the property through the courts. Please note that you must first obtain a decision from a notary stating that it is impossible to inherit without a certificate of ownership.

Restoration through court

If, for any reason, the owner was unable to restore the title documents for the property, it is necessary to hire a lawyer and file a claim with the court for recognition of ownership of the property. In such a situation, support is essential, so we recommend contacting professionals. Visit Ukraine lawyers can advise you on real estate issues, help you prepare documents correctly, and defend your interests in court.

We remind you! Not all Ukrainians know that they can protect their homes from the most common risks, including fire, flooding, theft, and war. Read how real estate insurance works in Ukraine and how much it will cost to protect your apartment or house in our previous article.

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