Renting an apartment does not grant property rights: what you need to know about housing protection.

Many Ukrainians have been in a situation for decades where they live in apartments they rent, but at the same time have no guarantees for prolonged residence in them. From time to time, stories emerge about legal disputes between apartment owners and tenants. However, it is important to realize that long-term renting of an apartment does not grant the tenant any property rights, emphasizes lawyer Maria Levchenko.

"Property rights are inviolable rights, protected by the Constitution. If the apartment is properly documented, it cannot be taken away in court," explains the lawyer.

Property rights to the apartment are inviolable

Article 41 of the Constitution of Ukraine clearly states that no one may be deprived of their property rights or restricted in their exercise. The law allows for the confiscation of property only in exceptional cases, and this does not apply to situations where a person simply rents an apartment for an extended period. No rental agreement, even for ten or more years, grants the tenant property rights to the apartment.

Long-term renting does not create property rights

There is a common myth that long-term residence in an apartment, payment of utilities, and maintenance grant the right to a share or the entire apartment. However, this is not true. No use of property converts into property rights. Ukrainian law clearly regulates the property rights registration system, so without this entry in the register, no rights exist. Therefore, no tenant should expect to gain property rights from it. Ukrainian laws clearly define property rights to apartments, and even long-term residence or payment of bills do not grant the tenant property rights to the property. The best thing to do is to carefully familiarize oneself with the rental conditions before signing the contract and to avoid conflict situations with the apartment owner.