Deferred payment for square meters: what does the new draft law provide for IDPs and persons liable for military service?
19 September 2025 15:59
An interesting legislative draft has recently been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada: to meet the housing needs of IDPs in exchange for a deferral from mobilization for those who are ready to provide free housing for IDPs. A kind of barter. Komersant found out what the MPs propose and how realistic it is to implement.
The main purpose of the bill, according to MP Hryhoriy Mazurashu, is to amend Article 23 of the Law of Ukraine “On Mobilization Preparation and Mobilization”, which will help provide internally displaced persons with permanent or temporary housing free of charge, as well as reduce corruption and other shameful actions by representatives of the TCC and JVs for a European democratic state.
As the MP writes in his explanatory note, as of June 2025, 4.59 million internally displaced persons were officially registered in Ukraine. About 50% of them have housing problems. The state provides temporary housing for only a small part of them – there are about 75,000 places available, which is significantly less than the need. There is virtually no construction of new housing for IDPs. Despite the existence of strategies, IDPs need real help now, not sometime in the future.
“When IDPs turn to me as an MP, they emphasize that they cannot afford to rent housing at market prices. At the same time, there is unused housing in the regions that could be provided to IDPs if the state created incentives for owners. The draft law proposes to grant a deferral from mobilization to those liable for military service who provide free housing for two or more IDPs,” said the MP.
The draft law on amendments to Article 23 of the Law of Ukraine “On mobilization preparation and mobilization” is aimed at stimulating the provision of housing for internally displaced persons. It is proposed to grant a deferral to those who provide housing for permanent or temporary free accommodation to IDPs.
It also specifies the procedure for verifying and processing the deferral:
- If documents confirming the right to deferment are available, conscription is prohibited.
- In case of refusal, the CMCs are obliged to provide a written explanation with a list of required documents.
- A citizen must present originals or certified copies of documents confirming the right to deferment.
The purpose of the changes is to reduce corruption risks and abuse by territorial recruitment and social support centers.
A roof for IDPs and a deferral for landlords?
According to realtors, the idea of free housing for IDPs is a good one, but as always, there may be problems with its implementation. Many questions are already arising: what and how to specify in the lease agreement, how realistic it will be to enforce it, especially if it is a “booked” homeowner.
“First of all, you need to think about how to protect the rights of the landlord. The agreement will be concluded free of charge, but what responsibility does the tenant bear? After all, the tenant must be solvent, pay for utilities, and be responsible for the property. You also need to clearly define the term of the contract. As far as we know, a reservation is issued for six months and then no longer valid. And what if the tenant moves out earlier? Is the reservation then lost? It turns out that they will immediately mobilize him, because he has already passed the military qualification commission and has the documents in hand,” comments Vladislav Kulishenko, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the AFNU.
In addition, not only the person liable for military service, but also his family members can own an apartment. How will their rights be protected? Why do they have to rent the property for free if it belongs to the whole family?
This scheme can be used by relatives of IDPs, emphasizes the realtor. They would have provided housing for free anyway, only for the utility bill, and now they will be able to do it officially to get a reservation from mobilization.
“Perhaps a few people will be interested in this, but definitely not many. The algorithm of actions is not spelled out. And if the landlord’s reservation is canceled, what will happen to the IDPs who live there if the contract has not yet expired? On the one hand, the opportunity to get a reservation for the provision of housing looks attractive, but on the other hand, there are no mechanisms for resolving disputes,” Kulishenko adds.
Reservation may not work
Lawyers doubt the adoption of this bill, as it currently looks populist. In Ukrainian realities, even the presence of armor does not always guarantee a postponement of mobilization.
“I will say this: this provision raises many questions about the terms of the lease agreement. But even now, a reservation is not always a guarantee. If something is not included in the database, a person can still be mobilized, and the argument that he or she is renting an apartment to IDPs will not work. I speak from personal experience. So you should not rely on this draft law,” said lawyer Valentyn Serkov.
To be fair, there is an important but almost invisible paragraph in the draft law:
“It is also proposed to clarify the procedure for issuing deferrals: territorial recruitment centers (TRCs and JVs) will not be able to draft citizens if they have documents confirming the right to deferment. In case of refusal to issue a deferment, a citizen must be provided with a written explanation with a list of required documents.”
According to the author of the draft law, this should reduce corruption risks and ensure transparency of the actions of the Military Commissariats and JVs.
Author: Alla Dunina
