Taking into account the suspension during the martial law and thirty days after its termination of foreclosure on property owned by individuals and mortgaged under consumer loans, the question arises as to what legal mechanisms for the protection of their rights currently remain with mortgage holders of such property.
Only in September 2021, the moratorium on foreclosure on residential real estate mortgaged under foreign currency loans of an individual expired, and now the martial law in Ukraine is again imposing its restrictions.
So what should mortgage holders do in this case?
These limitations are temporary and do not deprive the mortgagee of the right to satisfy his claims at the expense of the mortgaged property, but only postpone it until the moment specified by law. Therefore, the specified circumstances cannot be grounds for refusing a claim for foreclosure on the subject of a mortgage.
The mortgagee has the right to apply to the court with the relevant claim and obtain a court decision on its satisfaction, however, the execution of this decision will be suspended during the period of martial law in Ukraine and within thirty days after its termination or cancellation.
In the future, after the end of such a period, the possibility of executing the specified decision will automatically resume its effect without a separate decision or regulatory act.
These conclusions have already been permanently reflected in judicial practice (supreme court rulings in cases No. 296/7213/15 and No. 201/9754/17).
Therefore, the mortgage holder should not wait for the end of the martial law in Ukraine to satisfy his demands in a court of law, but can already go to court with a claim for foreclosure on the subject of the mortgage and obtain a court decision in his favor. These actions, taking into account the duration of the trial, will give him the opportunity to save his time after the termination of the legal restrictions and immediately start the procedure for the execution of the court decision.
Victoria Doskovska, attorney at Dynasty Law & Investment