Gift transfers fell 40%: how the law and fears of war reshaped the real estate market
The number of gift deeds in 2025 fell by almost 40% compared with 2024 — a figure that signals not only owners' behavior but also risks to liquidity and trust in the market. We examine why this matters now.
By Tetiana Suchkova-Ladik
March 22, 2026 · 2 min read
What happened
According to the Ministry of Justice, the number of gift agreements for residential real estate in Ukraine fell from almost 158,000 in 2024 to 108,600 in 2025 — a drop of nearly 40%. This is a return to pre-war shares in the transaction structure, but against the backdrop of other market changes it looks ambiguous.
Context: from surge to rollback
Before the full-scale invasion, gifts accounted for about 25–30% of all disposal transactions. In 2021, of 577,388 agreements on the transfer of property rights, gifts accounted for 139,313 (24%). In 2023 the share rose to 28%, and in 2024 — to 42%.
The main catalyst for the sharp surge in 2024 was amendments to the administrative code and a new debt collection mechanism enshrined in Law No. 10379U. In addition to fines from 17,000 to 59,500 hryvnias, the law allows the enforcement service to seize the property or funds of a debtor attempting to evade payments. This triggered a wave of transferring property as a tool to minimize risks.
"By the end of 2024 we saw an almost 50% increase in the number of gift transactions. In other words, all men were transferring their property to wives and parents. Now the number of transactions has returned to the previous level — to the classic 30%."
— Kostiantyn Oliinyk, Head of the Strategic Consulting Department at UTG
What the overall statistics show
In 2025 notaries processed nearly 367,000 property agreements — 9.8% fewer than in 2024. At the same time, some categories grew: purchase-and-sale transactions of apartments and houses — about 205,000 (up 15% from 2024), homesteads — 320,000 (up 44.8%), and other real estate — 42,800 (up 18%). Analysts note that the classification methodology may partially explain discrepancies between aggregate and category-level figures.
What this means for owners and the market
On one hand, the rollback to a "classic" level of gift transfers reduces the risk of informal schemes and brings some transactions back into more civilized frameworks. On the other hand, the total number of purchase-and-sale transactions remains at a level 30% lower than in 2021, indicating reduced mobility among owners and a slowdown in market liquidity.
For the average citizen this is a matter of security and money: stability in property rules is key to restoring the housing market and attracting the investments needed to rebuild the country.
Conclusion — without fanfare, with a forecast
The surge in gift transfers in 2024 and the reverse dynamic in 2025 speak more about reactions to legislative incentives and owners' emotions than about fundamental changes in housing demand. If state institutions and notarial practice provide clear rules and prompt explanations, the market will return to more predictable mechanics. The questions remain: can we turn a temporary shock into long-term transparency — and will that be reflected in trust from investors and buyers?
