A woman received social payments for IDPs and bought an apartment for 870,000 hryvnias. Did the court order her to return the assistance?

A woman, along with her child and a man, was registered and receiving assistance for accommodation as internally displaced persons. However, she did not report her purchase of a one-bedroom apartment for 870,000 hryvnias. She is required to repay the assistance amounting to 26,000 hryvnias. This was stated in the decision of the Frunzensky District Court of Kharkiv, published on January 22, 2025.

From March 1, 2023, to March 5, 2024, the woman and her child were registered as internally displaced persons at the Department of Social Protection of the Saltiivskyi District Administration of the Kharkiv City Council. On March 5, 2024, due to a change in their actual place of residence, based on a personal application, they were registered as IDPs at the Department of Social Protection of the Nemishliansky District Administration of the Kharkiv City Council. Her husband was registered as an IDP by the Department on February 22, 2024. The assistance for accommodation for internally displaced persons was granted to the citizen by the Department of Social Protection of the Saltiivskyi District Administration from March 2023 to February 2024, amounting to 5,000 hryvnias per month (2,000 hryvnias for her, 3,000 hryvnias for her son), and was paid in full.

According to the woman's application dated February 22, 2024, she, as an authorized person of her family, was granted assistance from March 1, 2024, to August 31, 2024, in the amount of 7,000 hryvnias (2,000 hryvnias for her, 3,000 hryvnias for the child, and 2,000 hryvnias for the man). Due to non-compliance with the order regarding assistance for her employment, the payment for the man was terminated on June 1, 2024. According to the information received, she purchased a one-bedroom apartment on February 27, 2024. The information in the State Register of Property Rights indicates that the sale agreement price is 870,000 hryvnias. The citizen falls under the criteria defined in subparagraph 2 of paragraph 7-1 of the Order, as she acquired an apartment while receiving assistance, and the transaction was made after the inclusion of the Kharkiv City Territorial Community in the list of areas with active hostilities, possible hostilities, or temporary occupation, with the property value exceeding 100,000 hryvnias. She no longer has the right to receive assistance from March 1, 2024. The assistance payment was terminated on July 1, 2024. She incurred an overpayment of budget funds amounting to 26,000 hryvnias for the period from March 1, 2024, to June 31, 2024, until September 20, 2024.

What was the court's decision?

The court granted the claim. The woman is to repay the unlawfully received budget funds in the amount of 26,000 hryvnias to the Department of Social Protection of the Nemishliansky District Administration of the Kharkiv City Council.

"The court established that the defendant, upon receiving assistance, purchased an apartment based on the sale agreement dated February 27, 2024, under No. 178. The information contained in the State Register of Property Rights indicates that the sale agreement price is 870,000 hryvnias. Under these circumstances, the court concludes that the claims for the recovery of the excess state assistance paid to the defendant in the amount of 26,000 hryvnias are justified and should be satisfied. No evidence to refute this was provided by the defendant," the court emphasized.