UKRAINE LEGAL UPDATE
15 March 2022
Ukraine’s mortgage legislation is amended to adjust to war realities. To ease the plight of consumers, the parliament temporarily puts their assets beyond the reach of creditor banks, by suspending some of the mortgage law’s enforcement rules.
At issue is the real estate of individuals put up as collateral for debts. Now such properties may not be seized, sold or otherwise taken in payment during a period of martial law and for 30 days thereafter. Nor may residents be evicted from such premises in that time. The move amounts to a moratorium on the enforcement of bank consumer mortgages.
Properties owned by businesses and other organizations remain subject to the normal enforcement regime.
Ukraine introduced martial law on 24 February 2022, in response to a full-scale Russian invasion. Set initially for 30 days, it may be extended any number of times and almost indefinitely, as long as the conflict lasts. That, in practice, leaves the banks with no right to enforce consumer mortgages for the duration.