Inheritance registration for a damaged flat made it possible to seek compensation

Fleeing from hostilities, Olena moved from Novohrodivka, Donetsk region, to Kyiv region in August 2024.

The apartment in Novohrodivka, where Olena had lived with her parents, was damaged by shelling. However, compensation can only be received by the property owner. When her mother and father passed away, Olena never completed the inheritance process. At the time, dealing with the paperwork seemed too complicated and was postponed “for later.”

In June 2025, the woman sought help from the Charitable Foundation Caritas Mariupol to prepare a lawsuit to establish the fact of cohabitation. She had previously tried to do this on her own, but the court rejected her claim. After reviewing the documents, the lawyer explained that Olena had actually accepted the inheritance after her parents’ death but had not formally registered it.

When she went to the notary, she was asked to provide evidence of cohabitation with the deceased parents at the time of their death. The lawyer then sent a formal request to the Novohrodivka City Military Administration to obtain information confirming registered residents at the same address as the deceased.

Given Olena’s financial difficulties, she received charitable financial support under the project to cover notary services. With the certificate from the military administration, Olena was able to obtain two Certificates of Inheritance by Law for the apartment.

Thanks to comprehensive support – both legal and material – Olena successfully registered ownership of the apartment in the State Register of Real Property Rights (SRRPR). She can now apply for the eRestoration (eVidnovleniia) program and submit a claim to the Register of Damage for Ukraine (RD4U).

The Charitable Foundation Caritas Mariupol provides free legal aid to people affected by the war in cooperation with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) thanks to financial support from the European Union.