Azerbaijan.US
Homeowners in Azerbaijan who built houses without formal ownership documents may now have a legal pathway to register their property.
According to a new report aired by Khazar TV, houses constructed on municipally allocated land can qualify for legalization, depending on the legal status of the plot.
Real estate experts estimate that between 300,000 and 500,000 homes in Baku and across the Absheron Peninsula currently lack official ownership deeds. Most of these properties were built years ago on land purchased through municipalities or on plots originally designated for non-residential use.
Property expert Ramil Osmanli explained that legalization is not a single-step process and varies from case to case. The key factor is whether the land itself has a clear legal status. In some situations, the land is already registered in the homeowner’s name, but the house is classified as an unauthorized construction. In others, the land must first be re-acquired or re-registered through the municipality, which may involve additional costs.
If the land does not present legal obstacles, the process is significantly simpler. Homeowners in such cases need to obtain a technical passport for the building and apply for official registration. The total cost for state duties and service fees typically ranges between 400 and 500 manats.
However, when the land must be re-purchased from the municipality, overall expenses can rise to 3,500-4,000 manats. Once municipal payments, state duties, and technical documentation are completed, homeowners gain the legal right to register both the land plot and the house built on it.
Experts note that properties originally acquired from municipalities and processed in line with regulations face fewer complications. In these cases, legalization mainly involves updating architectural and planning documentation and completing the registration procedure.
The launch and expansion of this mechanism could become one of the largest property legalization efforts in recent years. For many families, obtaining an ownership deed is not just a formal step but a practical necessity, allowing homes to be sold, inherited, or used as collateral.
The move is expected to bring thousands of properties out of legal uncertainty and reduce long-standing risks in the housing market, particularly in suburban and rapidly developed areas around the capital.
