The Ministry of Justice explained under what circumstances utility bill debts could lead to the seizure of a home

In Ukraine, the risk of losing one’s home due to utility bill arrears may arise if the amount owed reaches approximately 430,000 hryvnias. The Ministry of Justice explained that this refers to a significant amount of debt that must be accumulated before the issue of property foreclosure can arise.

 

Deputy Minister of Justice Andriy Gaychenko made this statement during a television appearance.

“Will homes be seized for utility debts? There has always been a certain threshold below which homes were not seized. It was set by law. Previously, it was about 170,000 hryvnias. Now, given the realities of the war, exchange rates, and the difficult situation our country’s population finds itself in, we have raised this amount to 430,000. So, for your only home to be seized, you’d have to go to great lengths to accumulate utility debts,” he noted.

The deputy minister expressed the view that there are likely only a handful of such utility debtors in Ukraine.

“In other words, in 99.999% of cases, people’s only home will not be seized for utility debts. I want to reassure people on this point,” said Gaychenko.

When asked what people should do if they have paid their debts but the relevant systems malfunctioned—especially during blackouts—and the restrictions on their accounts were not lifted, he explained that citizens can call the state enforcement officer, whose number is listed in all databases and procedural documents.

“The state enforcement officer’s phone number is always linked to each case. In addition, there is a single call center for the State Enforcement Service. However, over the past year, we have not experienced any technical glitches, even despite the blackouts,” the deputy minister noted, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.

As a reminder, Ukrainian banks may begin automatically collecting debts from accounts in October.

Ukraine has changed the rules for cutting off electricity for unpaid bills: details.

Ukrainians’ water debts have risen, and the number of legal proceedings has exceeded 173,000.