Housing voucher in use: Delays in approving one spouse’s application

The housing voucher programme for internally displaced people from temporarily occupied territories is gradually moving from general rules to practical implementation.

Alongside new clarifications on the procedure for using the voucher, reserving funds, and purchasing housing, participants in the programme are raising more and more specific questions: what should be done after the reservation is confirmed? what housing may be purchased? can the voucher be combined with other support programmes? what should be done in case of technical or documentary difficulties?

Earlier, the PravoVsim team had already explained the legal foundations of the programme in the materials: “Housing vouchers for the purchase of housing for certain categories of IDPs from occupied territories” and “Housing voucher and eVidnovlennia housing certificate: what is the difference and what do they have in common.” In this series of publications, we focus on practice, briefly and clearly answering the questions most frequently received from users of the platform.

The programme for providing housing vouchers to certain categories of internally displaced people who left temporarily occupied territories was approved by Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Resolution No. 1176 of 22 September 2025. The Procedure defines the mechanism for providing assistance to resolve the housing issue of IDPs belonging to the categories established by law, including veterans and people with disabilities as a result of war.

At the same time, from the very beginning the programme has been built not only around the applicant’s status, but also around the legal position of their family. The Procedure expressly defines the recipient’s family members as one of the spouses and children under 18 years of age. For this reason, when an application is reviewed, not only the applicant but also their family members are checked, in particular regarding ownership of residential real estate. Persons may not receive assistance if they or their family members own housing, except in specifically defined cases, for example housing in areas of active hostilities, temporarily occupied territories, or housing purchased through a mortgage loan that has not yet been repaid.

This means that, for participation in the programme, not only IDP status is legally significant, but also the overall housing situation of the family.

Under the programme rules, after funds are reserved, 60 days are provided to conclude an agreement with a notary, and during this period the funds remain reserved. If the transaction is not concluded within this term, the reservation is cancelled and the funds are returned to the programme, but the request for financing may be submitted again.

It is also important to understand that the Procedure allows the joint purchase of housing by several housing voucher recipients. In such a case, it is recommended to reserve the funds simultaneously. This provision is of practical importance precisely for spouses, where both may meet the programme criteria.

Your question:

“I and my wife are both IDPs + veterans. I have already received a housing voucher, while my wife’s application is still under review. If I use my housing voucher to purchase housing, will my wife still receive a housing voucher, or will she be refused?”

We answer:

Most likely, in such a situation there is a high risk of refusal for the wife if, by the time her application is reviewed, your ownership right to the purchased housing has already been registered. The reason is that the Procedure takes into account not only the property status of the applicant herself, but also the property status of her family members, including her husband. If the husband has already purchased housing and has become its owner, during verification it may be established that a family member of the applicant owns residential real estate, which is a ground for refusal.

An exception in this situation may be the factor that the husband used the voucher to repay a loan for housing purchased through a mortgage, for example under the eOselia programme.

Therefore, from a practical point of view, it is safer first to wait for the decision on the wife’s application. If both spouses receive positive decisions and vouchers are issued, then the option of jointly purchasing housing by two voucher recipients, with simultaneous reservation of funds, may be considered. This approach is most consistent with the logic of the programme and reduces the risk that one of the applications will be rejected because of a change in the property status of a family member during the review.

At the same time, if the decision on the wife’s application is approved before the moment when you register ownership of the housing purchased with your voucher, the situation may require separate analysis of the documents and the specific stage of the procedure. In such a case, it is advisable to obtain an individual legal consultation from a specialist before signing the sale and purchase agreement.

We remind you that lawyers of the PravoVsim platform provide free consultations on the procedure and process for obtaining and using housing vouchers for IDPs.