The answer is already visible in the formulation of the question, but not everything in this topic is so obvious. Debts, and especially debts for utility services, have become commonplace in our country. Some people do not pay deliberately, while others simply due to carelessness become debtors, although they have the opportunity to pay regularly. How does this happen and what to do about it? Let's figure it out together.
Inherited real estate: a gift of fate or an evil fate?
The news of the death of a second cousin on the side of your brother-in-law’s fourth cousin is unlikely to resonate in the heart with strong pity, but the news that such a distant relative, whose existence you did not suspect, decided to leave you a generous inheritance, will cause much more powerful emotions. Don’t rush to rejoice because, along with square meters, you can also get an endless number of zeros in the column with the laconic signature “debt for public services.” Ukrainian legislation clearly indicates that by agreeing to accept real estate as a gift, you thereby accept all debts associated with it. This could be either a few missed hryvnias for a commission or a larger debt in the amount of the cost of the entire object, but no more. Becoming the new owner, you will be obliged to repay the amount that fell on you with the ill-fated will.
In addition to your will, the following debt obligations may be transferred to you:
- public services;
- tax on house or apartment;
- credit;
- mortgage;
- installments;
- lease (if we are talking about rented real estate with a subsequent right of purchase).
To avoid taking on unbearable obligations, it is worth checking the property for taxes before accepting it as an inheritance. This way you can sensibly assess your capabilities and make the most correct decision. It’s not easy to refuse donated square meters, but it’s even harder to face a debt that you can’t pay off. You can check the existence of debts on a specific object if you know the name of the previous owner. To do this, you should use one of the official sources:
- Unified register of debtors (ERD);
- Unified State Register of Court Decisions (USRSR);
- website Judicial Power of Ukraine;
- automated system Ministry of Justice.
If you understand that the debts you have received are so great that your grandchildren will not be able to cope with them, feel free to refuse the inheritance in one of the possible ways:
- contact a notary and write an official statement of refusal;
- If you are inactive, you are given six months from the date of the testator’s death to open an inheritance, so if during this time you do not contact a notary to accept it, neither the inheritance itself nor the accompanying debts will overtake you.
If you understand that the debts you have received are NOT so large, and that you can easily get rid of them, another scenario awaits you for accepting the inheritance:
- within the six months given to you, prepare an application for acceptance of real estate and contact a notary;
- enter into an inheritance and receive a certificate confirming this;
- notify the credit institution that the debtor has died and that you are now in his place;
- pay off the debt and interest on it;
- dispose of your new property at your own discretion, using the help of professionals.
How not to buy debts and not create them yourself
You may incur debts for utilities due to your own inattention and wastefulness in the use of resources. If in this case you are able to fix everything yourself, then there are also situations when, even with reasonable consumption and responsibility, you will still remain “in the red.” This often happens when buying an apartment or house on the secondary market, when along with it you acquire the debts of the previous owner. One of the capital's real estate agencies recently revealed the secrets of how to avoid such mistakes and not lead to a power outage, water or gas.
Everyone should mind their own business. If you are contacting a realtor to purchase an apartment, then to resolve issues regarding utilities, you should contact relevant experts. For example, we decided to consider electricity, because it was its supplier who, in his recent post reminded how It is important to check for debts before purchasing real estate.
How can a distribution system operator help you? You should contact him if you have questions regarding:
- meter settings;
- transfer of their indicators;
- quality of power supply;
- repair work on power lines and other energy facilities on which the proper operation of the system depends;
- connections to the system;
- disconnect from it.
It is also worth contacting him in order to find out about re-registration of a personal account when purchasing real estate. If you have any questions on this topic, you can contact the operator by phone or on the website:
- SE NEK “Ukrenergo” – (044) 238-38-25;
- PJSC “DTEK Kyiv Electric Grids” – 1588, 0-800-50-1588 ;
- PJSC “DTEK Kyiv Regional Electric Grids” – (044) 459-07-40 , (067) 495-70-40, (099) 495-70-40, (093) 495-70-40, 0-800-40-0740;
“YASNO” – (044) 277-18-18, (067) 277-18-18 , (066) 277-18-18, (093) 277-18-18.
