AZE.US
People purchasing homes in Azerbaijan through handwritten receipts or informal agreements may pay the full price but still acquire no legal ownership rights, a lawyer has warned.
Attorney Akram Hasanov said to demokrat.az that any sale of a house or apartment registered in the State Real Estate Registry and carrying an official ownership extract must be notarized.
“There is no other legal method. Agreements concluded without notarization have no legal force,” Hasanov told local media.
According to the lawyer, a buyer who can prove that money was transferred to the seller under an informal agreement may ask a court to order the repayment of those funds.
However, proof of payment does not make the buyer the legal owner of the property.
“The buyer may demand the return of the money, but no ownership rights to the house or apartment arise,” Hasanov said.
Homes Without Ownership Extracts Carry Greater Risks
The situation is particularly risky when a property does not have an official ownership extract.
Such cases often involve apartment buildings that have not yet been formally commissioned or structures considered unauthorized under existing regulations. Because a notary cannot approve the sale, buyers and sellers sometimes rely on simple written agreements.
Hasanov said these documents also carry serious legal risks and do not guarantee that ownership will eventually be registered in the buyer’s name.
In the event of a dispute, the buyer’s main legal option may again be limited to seeking the return of the money paid.
As a result, a person who purchases a home without proper notarization could be left without the property and forced to pursue the seller through court to recover the funds.
AZE.US