Uzbekistan, Tashkent – AN Podrobno.uz. The Committee for the Development of Competition and Consumer Protection has proposed to exclude from real estate purchase agreements clauses that oblige buyers to pay off the debts of previous owners.

The corresponding proposal to revise the practice of notarizing transactions has been sent to the Ministry of Justice.

Under current regulations, before certifying a transaction, notaries check through the NOTARIUS system for the absence of tax and utility debts. Document execution is permitted only if no encumbrances are found.

Despite this, contracts often include clauses stating that the buyer assumes responsibility for any debts that may be discovered in the future. The Committee emphasizes that such conditions restrict citizens' rights and contradict legislation, as the responsibility for the accuracy of data in billing systems lies with service providers.

The reason for the agency's intervention was an incident in the Samarkand region. A citizen purchased housing for which no debts were recorded at the time of the transaction. Later, the enterprise "Samarkand Suv Ta'minoti" presented the new owner with a claim for 13 million soums.

An investigation showed that the debt arose due to a technical error made by a former employee of the organization when entering data. As a result of the Committee's intervention, the unjustified debt was canceled.

The Committee insists on the complete exclusion from notarial forms of any wording that imposes the debts of previous owners on the buyer. This will prevent cases where bona fide real estate buyers become victims of errors in utility billing systems or seller dishonesty.

Source: podrobno.uz