Destroyed residential buildingOwners of destroyed housing don’t always need to wait for a commission to physically reach the house. If the property is located in an area of possible or active hostilities and a safe on-site inspection is not feasible, Ukraine has a procedure for remote assessment.Referring to the Legal Guide for Internally Displaced Persons, we explain the cases where such a procedure is applied, what materials can confirm the fact of house destruction, and how the owner will be informed of the assessment results.When is Remote Assessment Conducted?Remote assessment involves collecting, documenting, and analyzing information about destroyed housing without physical access to the property.This procedure can be applied if the housing is preliminarily considered destroyed, located in an area of possible or active hostilities, and the commission cannot safely travel to the site.On Finance.ua, you can insure your own or rented housing against the consequences of military actions and “direct hits” 🏠However, remote assessment is not conducted for housing in temporarily occupied territories.The decision to conduct the procedure is made by a special commission established by the local self-government body or military administration. The basis for this is an informational notification about damaged or destroyed property, where the condition of the property is indicated as “unfit for operation” or “completely destroyed.”What Evidence Does the Commission Use?To establish the fact of destruction, photos and videos from smartphones, digital cameras, or drones, as well as satellite imagery and other Earth remote sensing materials, can be used.The commission evaluates all available materials collectively. Documents from the State Emergency Service, National Police, and other government bodies, information about the house’s characteristics before destruction, witness testimonies, and analytical data generated using software, including artificial intelligence technologies, may also be considered.
- Photographs must be of sufficient quality to show the nature of the damage. It is preferable for them to include the date, time, and coordinates of the shooting.
- The images must clearly show the house itself, the surrounding area, the destroyed structures, and identifying features – for example, a house number or address sign.
- For videos, a quality requirement of at least Full HD is set. They must be unedited, without splicing or speeding up, and show the house and surrounding area from various angles.
Read also
The government is allocating UAH 5.14 billion for compensation for destroyed housing
Drone filming requires a special permit from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or the relevant military command.And if satellite imagery is neededThe owner of the destroyed housing does not need to search for or order satellite materials independently.If necessary, the authorized body will send a corresponding request to the State Geo-Cadastre Service, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, or the State Space Agency of Ukraine. A response to such a request must be provided no later than 15 calendar days.Satellite images must allow the recognition of signs of destruction and contain information about the date, time, and location of the shooting. The coordinate determination error should not exceed 10 meters.When Will the Owner Know the Result?The total duration of the remote assessment should not exceed 30 calendar days from the date of registration of the informational notification.After completing the procedure, the commission will draw up an act within five working days. It will state one of three conclusions: the fact of destruction is confirmed, the fact of destruction is not confirmed, or it is impossible to establish it.Place for your advertisementA copy of the act will be sent to the applicant within three working days of its compilation via the “Diia” portal or app – if technically feasible – or to the email address specified in the informational notification.If the destruction could not be confirmed, the owner can submit additional materials or information within 90 days that may help establish the fact of destruction.The remote assessment act is an official document confirming the destruction of real estate and can be used, among other things, when deciding on compensation for destroyed housing.
Svitlana VyshkovskaEditorBased on: Finance.ua# Residential real estatePlace for your advertisement