Bashkortostan's bill on housing fraud will be considered in State Duma

The State Duma Council recommended including the draft federal law “On Amendments to Article 574 of Part Two of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation,” submitted by the Bashkortostan Parliament, into the legislative work plan for the spring. The bill will be considered in the first reading in May.

As emphasized in the State Assembly of Bashkiria, the bill aims to protect Russians from fraudulent actions with apartments by drafting gift agreements.

“We propose to introduce mandatory notarization of gift transactions concluded by people who are not closely related,” said Konstantin Tolkachev, Speaker of the Bashkortostan Parliament.

The current procedure for simplifying transaction registration is convenient for citizens. Still, at the same time, it is widely used by criminals to deceive gullible people—most often lonely or with addictions.

“Today, it’s straightforward to give an apartment to a stranger; you just need to sign the necessary papers at the MFC. The victims of attackers are often lonely older adults. Having lost their rights to their apartments, victims seek justice in court. This is a long process,” said Konstantin Tolkachev.

Agreements are concluded in compliance with all formalities, which is why the courts of first instance do not always decide the issue in favor of the plaintiffs. The State Assembly of Bashkiria is convinced that the legal mechanism and simplified procedure should be revised to protect apartment owners from scammers.

The speaker of the Bashkir parliament summarized, “Notarization of transactions will protect property rights. The notary explains the meaning and significance of the transaction being concluded and checks whether its content corresponds to the true intentions of the parties.”

The document previously received a positive opinion from the Council of Legislators of Russia. The State Duma Committee on State Building and Legislation was appointed responsible for the bill. The committee accepts reviews, suggestions, and comments on the bill until April 25.

Author: Galina Bakhshieva