OMM Redaksiyası
The issue of homes without title deeds has been discussed in Azerbaijan for many years. The absence of documentation creates serious difficulties for owners seeking to sell, donate or carry out other legal transactions involving their property. Restrictions on the sale and purchase of undocumented homes may also affect their market value.
“Operative Information Center-OMM”, citing ITV, reports that Sulutapa resident Tariyel Jabrayilov has lived in the area since 1993. He says he faces various problems in daily life because he cannot obtain a title deed for his home.
“You go to the municipality, and they do not issue a certificate, saying, ‘Bring the title deed.’ I come back, but I have no title deed, nothing. Then I take my child to school, and they say, ‘Bring a certificate here.’ I enroll my other child in an institute, and they say, ‘Bring a certificate here so I can see where you live.’ I live in a place without an address. If they issue title deeds, we will certainly pay our taxes, and the money will go to the budget.”
Nearly 500,000 properties lack documentation
Experts say there are approximately 500,000 individual homes, plots of land and other properties without title deeds in Baku and the Absheron area.
The lack of documentation also makes it difficult to impose land and property taxes on these properties. As a result, municipalities are unable to collect taxes from them.
Some areas around the capital have already developed into large residential settlements. Streets in these areas have been named, addresses established, bus routes introduced, and schools and kindergartens opened. Nevertheless, a number of homes and other properties in these areas have still not been issued title deeds.
Experts believe that formalizing undocumented homes could both ensure citizens’ property rights and increase tax revenues for the state and municipalities.
Issue raised again in Milli Majlis
The issue of undocumented homes was also raised on Sept. 30 at the first plenary meeting of the autumn session of Milli Majlis (National Assembly).
MP Siyavush Novruzov said that approximately 500,000 individual homeowners in Azerbaijan do not pay property tax because they lack title deeds.
MP Siyavush Novruzov proposed speeding up the state registration of undocumented homes and the process of issuing title deeds for them.
“Homes are not registered today, and their owners are supposed to pay property tax to municipalities once a year, but they do not pay it. As a result, municipalities cannot collect taxes from 300,000 to 500,000 homes. I believe this should be stipulated in the Tax Code and other codes, and this step should be taken.”
Legal framework created for up to 100,000 homes
The issue of undocumented homes was also discussed in Milli Majlis in 2023 and 2024.
A decree signed by President Ilham Aliyev on July 16, 2024, provides for the creation of a legal framework to issue title deeds for up to approximately 100,000 undocumented homes.
At the same time, determining the status of homes located in specially protected zones remains one of the issues under discussion in the documentation process.
