On 01.01.2019, an amendment to the legislation on perpetual usufruct of land came into force. As of this date, perpetual usufruct will be converted into ownership by operation of law, in cases specified in the law. Although city authorities declare that they are ready for enfranchisement, the process of transformation may be difficult due to legal regulations that are hard to interpret and the fact that many properties have an unregulated legal status.
In addition, according to the transformation regulations, all land, such as sidewalks, internal roads in housing estates, or playgrounds, will not be included in the reform. Many people may also be disappointed by the fact that the process of converting perpetual usufruct can be costly. In order to streamline the process of issuing certificates for conversions, the legislature introduced an amendment according to which certificates are to be issued in a shorter period of time than before.
Notaries, however, leave no illusions – the shorter deadline is purely instructional, due to the large number of applications filed, offices in larger cities will not be able to issue certificates on time.