When the health emergency was boiling globally due to the pandemic, there was something about which Albanians did not lower their vigilance. Property! The National Notary Chamber and the State Cadastre Agency report that applications to legalize, register, or complete a procedure initiated for property kept the same pace as before the pandemic. Significant increase has also marked the donation contracts that in the span of 12 months are over 19 thousand, while the wills maintain a constant performance from year to year with over 5 thousand such acts registered in the period July 15, 2020 - July 15, 2021.

Under the uncertainty sown by the COVID-19 pandemic, most people first ran to store shelves, then to pharmacies to continue to the black market, providing oxygen, medication or antivirals. All of these were part of a cycle that escalated month after month, according to the shape of the pandemic that was bringing the globe to its knees. But while the first battle was that of securing elementary things in a time of "war" with the unknown, the second was related to more important aspects.

Uncertainty fueled the need to close those jobs left in the middle, unfinished procedures to state offices where you had a hard time finding administration. Not knowing what direction the situation would take, people sought to secure as much as they could what belonged to them. Sensitivity increased especially for the property. Only a short time ago, the head of the State Cadastre Agency, Artan Lame, emphasized in an interview for "Monitor" exactly this tendency and influx in the offices of ASHK.

In addition to securing land documents, house, shop, guesthouse, many of the people chose to further the desire for security. The abolition of the tax on property donation within the family from parents to children for the first time or vice versa, as well as the desire to be calm and safe with "state affairs" in a pandemic that it was not known how it would receive, increased visibly donation contracts. But how was the relationship of Albanians with property during 2020 and 2021 in figures.

Donation contracts increase, in the span of one year they reach over 19 thousand

In early 2020, the government decided to abolish the tax on donation cases within the family. The previous law provided for the payment of a 15% tax not only in cases where the apartment was sold, but also in cases where it was donated. This meant that the tax would be paid in every case when it was donated within the family, from parents to children, between spouses, as well as between brothers and sisters.

The facilitation of this link, but also the pandemic, seems to have encouraged Albanians to sign more than 19 thousand donation contracts in 12 months. Exactly, according to official data from the National Chamber of Notaries, from July 15, 2020 - July 15, 2021, the system results in 19,158 donation contracts. in function of the new system of notaries was made in the first months of 2020).

The President of the National Chamber of Notaries, Mimoza Sadushaj, explains that the increase of this contract comes as an effect of the abolition of the tax, but also the awareness she had about property issues at the time of the pandemic.

"The pandemic has had a greater impact on property registration and obtaining ownership documents or ownership certificates. For example, someone had registered property but with a mortgage certificate and did not have a certificate. While during the pandemic, there was a tendency to provide certificates as well. It is highly intended to obtain the ownership document in the final version.

The share of donation contracts within the family has greatly increased and this also comes as an effect of the abolition of tax on donation or sale. In case the parent can donate to the child for the first time, he does not pay tax and this has led to the increase of these contracts. So the donations made to children by parents have increased.

Previously, this was low and people preferred to make more wills, because they also paid taxes for donations within the family "- claims Sadushaj.

Cadastre offices recorded an influx of pandemic claims and applications

Despite being a pandemic year in 2020, applications to the State Cadastre Agency were high. The head of ASHK, Artan Lame, said that the interest was comprehensive and in total there were 1.1 million applications.

"I also wanted to point out a phenomenon that I noticed this year, which is not just about revaluation, but about people's access to property in times of pandemics. Throughout 2020, applications did not fall even though people were stuck, could not move, the administration was stressed, for reasons that are known, priorities changed, but still 1.1 million applications remained.

I think that among the factors was also the psychological one: "party what happens". Faced with a phenomenon they had only seen in movies, pandemic stories, and catastrophes, people were psychologically influenced to do housework. So, "to make a document and have it" - Lame would emphasize. According to him, the interest was high for the revaluation of the property, a process that started last year, but was postponed until the end of this year.

"The re-evaluation was postponed until the end of 2021, with the logic that during 2020, we had a constant rate of applications every month. It seems to me that 3-4 thousand every month. The fact that all these months, this mass of applications was equal from month to month and did not come down, shows that it was worth extending, as many people have requests. If there was a decrease in applications, 10 thousand a month and then 500, it was not worth extending the deadline. For 2020, 58,617 applications have been made for "Asset Reassessment".

Of these, 29,620 applications are paid. The difference of these applications is divided into unpaid applications from the citizen which are 12,075; applications not processed by ACA which are 8.116 and canceled applications 8.806. The total value of revenues in the State Budget for 2020 is 3.77 billion ALL", underlined Lame.

Wills remain in constant growth, over 5 thousand in a year

Notarial acts of the will type have had a steady increase from year to year, although this is not at a high level. Mrs. Sadushaj says that this may be related to the fact that people now choose to resolve some of the issues with a donation contract when they have the opportunity.

Official data from the National Chamber of Notaries show that in the period July 15, 2020 - July 15, 2021, 5089 such acts were registered, compiled in notary offices, at home or a will was submitted.

"The part of the inheritance is done near the notary offices. It has long been out of court, as a form of facilitating citizens. Despite this, the condition of the wills continues normally. There is a steady increase, but not very noticeable.

As we said, the donations made to children by parents has increased. This used to be low and people preferred to make more wills because they also paid taxes for donations within the family "- claims Sadushaj.

World, COVID-19 influenced the revision of existing wills

The pandemic situation that had immediate effects on markets and the global economy also affected businesses and households. Some heads of households have become more sensitive about the future they are leaving to relatives, so they have revised their wills.

A Financial Review article in Australia highlighted this trend. Melissa Yates, attorney with Ward Keller, says there has been a 30% increase in the number of testators changing their wills as COVID-19 continues to threaten life and property. In places like Darwin, where property prices had fallen by more than 30% before the pandemic, large landowners had to change wills written at the height of the market.

"Relying on property values ​​that were higher than the market, he was willing to pay, an issue of inequality was created in relation to what the beneficiaries would receive. We review wills with clients to discuss changes that could improve equitable delivery, ”said Yates.

Bloomberg, on the other hand, published an article on wills late last year. Although painful, COVID-19 brought unexpected losses in the lives of people close to many individuals and in cases where there was no will, finding a solution when the cases were complicated with ownership and credit turned into nightmares. "Without a will, the families of COVID-19 victims face legal nightmares," was the headline of a Bloomberg article.

"Only about a third of Americans have some form of wealth planning, forcing those who have left behind to pursue a formidable bureaucratic process. With a death toll in the US from Covid exceeding 200,000 (the article was published in October 2020 and the figures belong to that period), the issue could potentially affect tens of thousands of families "- the article reads.

(Source: Monitor)