The municipality of Rokytne, Rivne Oblast, has begun what seems like a simple task, but is in fact a strategic one: bringing order to abandoned property. These are buildings and facilities that have stood abandoned for years, gradually crumbling, covered in weeds or simply overlooked by everyone. Now, however, they are officially registered, in the spotlight, and in the process of being brought under municipal ownership.
And most importantly, there is already the first court decision on the transfer of a property to the municipality — a non-residential garage building with an area of 122.6 m². It has already been registered as the property of the municipality, and once the premises are valued, they will be put up for sale to generate tangible revenue for the local budget.
More than just a garage. This is just the first step. The municipality plans a similar procedure for four more properties, some of which are of industrial importance. Abandoned properties have other uses: some buildings can double as social housing or for temporary accommodation of IDPs.
“We are essentially bringing order to something that has not belonged to anyone for a long time. The important thing is not just to ‘clean up’ but turn it into a resource, either for the municipality, for the budget, or for those who need it,” explains Serhii Novak.
How it all started Serhii Novak, the Head of Housing, Transport, Improvement and Municipal Property Department of Rokytne Village Council, reckons that taking part in U-LEAD’s training programme “Steps for Specialists. Municipal Property Management” was what got them started on this work.
“We are a young municipality. We are learning a lot, and there is much we did not know. U-LEAD gave us a different outlook on many things. The Programme gave us a clear understanding of the process. It wasn’t just a matter of telling us, but accompanying and helping us. This was so valuable,” says Serhii Novak.
Having completed the training, the municipality decided that they needed to take on a systematic inventory. A special commission was created to identify abandoned property, which included municipality’s starostas. They were the ones who started putting together the first list of places — unfinished buildings, empty spaces, and abandoned structures in all 25 settlements of the municipality.
Then the municipal team made official inquiries to the Administrative Services Centre to find out whether a property had an owner. If there is no data, the property is considered abandoned. Everything is recorded and approved by the executive committee’s decision. This is followed by a technical inventory, the issuance of a technical passport and registration with the state registrar.
“We also put up an ad in the newspaper — this is a mandatory condition. You can only go to court after a year to get a property declared abandoned. And now we have a decision certifying that this property is municipal,” says Serhii Novak.
U-LEAD: training that works. This story is an example of how even complex legal procedures can be put into practice if the municipality has the right knowledge, team and support.
“Abandoned property is an undervalued resource that the municipality can use to benefit. And the benefits are both social and economic. Cases such as Rokytne show that with understanding and support, municipalities begin to see new opportunities,” says Ruslan Syvyi, the Head of the Regional Office of U-LEAD in Rivne Oblast.
“We always encourage municipalities to look for additional sources of growth, and abandoned property is among them,” he adds.
He also noted that Rokytne municipality is not waiting for someone ‘from above’ to provide resources. They themselves put in order things that have been ignored for years. And they have learned that every garage, barn, half-finished building or old house has the potential to become a source of real support for the municipality.
