"They will adopt the new Civil Code — and your housing documents will be annulled." "If your title is not in the new register, your apartment can easily be taken away." Such claims are increasingly heard in YouTube videos, Telegram channels, and advertising. At the end, it is always the same: "urgently re-register — we will help for a fee." Let us examine what the legislation actually says and where exactly the manipulation lies.
In brief: the draft of the new Civil Code of Ukraine is not a law in force and creates no obligations whatsoever for property owners. Provisions requiring re-registration of rights acquired before January 1, 2013, do not exist — neither in the current legislation nor even in the text of the draft. Paid services for "urgent re-registration" based on this draft are pure manipulation.
What is the "new Civil Code" they talk about in the videos
On April 9, 2026, a draft of the new Civil Code of Ukraine — bill No. 15150 — was registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. It does exist and provides for a new book "Publicity of Civil-Law Rights," devoted to state registration of rights to real estate. On April 28, 2026, the Verkhovna Rada supported the draft on first reading — "as a basis" (254 votes).
A practicing lawyer will confirm: codification reform is normal. But manipulators use the very fact that this document exists to frighten owners. Let us consider the verified facts.
Verified facts omitted in the videos
- The draft is not a law in force. It has been adopted only as a basis on first reading. Until it is adopted in full, published, and its effective date arrives, it creates no legal consequences whatsoever.
- The text is not final. Before the second reading, draft laws are traditionally substantially reworked. A telling example is the previous version No. 14394: after a wave of public criticism, it was replaced with a new version (No. 15150). Nor should we forget the historical experience: major codified acts in Ukraine may be prepared, amended, and adopted over years, or even decades.
- Professional legal communities disagree with the current version. The Notarial Chamber of Ukraine submitted its comments on the concept of state registration of rights in the draft — that is, even the experts are still debating the wording.
- There is no provision on mandatory re-registration of pre-2013 rights. Neither in the current legislation nor even in the current text of the draft. Critics of the draft speak of hypothetical risks in future disputes with third parties — and that is a separate discussion. Manipulators, however, present this as "urgent mandatory re-registration today."
How the manipulation works: the psychological mechanism
The typical structure of such videos is identical: the speaker mentions real terms — "new Civil Code," "state register," "good-faith purchaser" — and then formulates invented conclusions ("without re-registration your apartment will be taken away," "old documents will be annulled"). For a person without legal education this sounds convincing: the document names are real, and no one will bother to review a draft running to more than 800 pages.
Next comes artificial urgency: "start the re-registration before the Code is adopted, before it is too late." And the finale — an offer of a paid service for "data transfer," "registration renewal," or "re-formalization into the new register." Real terms + invented conclusions + artificial urgency → a call to order paid "help." This is not legal advice — it is psychological pressure designed to exploit fear.
What this means for you
A draft law is not a law. Until a provision is adopted on second reading, published, and enters into force, it produces no legal consequences for owners. "Forecasts" and "warnings" based on a draft are not grounds for re-registration.
Property title to real estate registered before January 1, 2013, is valid without any additional steps — this is the official position of the Ministry of Justice and a direct rule of the law in force. For a detailed analysis, see the main article: Property rights before 2013: is re-registration required?
What to do if you have already been called
A short algorithm. First — do not transfer any money and do not hand your documents to anyone: there are no "subscription fees for entry into the register." Second — do not rely on videos: open the website of the Ministry of Justice or the Verkhovna Rada and check what has actually been adopted. Third — if doubts remain, ask a lawyer or notary you trust: a ten-minute conversation resolves nine out of ten "alarming" questions.
Received an "alarming" video or a call about urgent re-registration? Do not rush to pay. A consultation with an attorney costs less than the typical "help" of manipulators and delivers a real, not an invented, legal result.
Author: Mykhailo Sydorchenko, attorney-at-law.
