Urbanization committee declares it unacceptable that homebuyers are left without apartments and money

Committee statement amid housing scandals

The National Committee for Urbanization and Sustainable Housing Market Development issued an official statement following a series of scandals surrounding construction companies, reports Daryo.uz. The agency noted that in recent days public discussion has been sparked by missed deadlines for handing over residential buildings, failure to return buyers' funds, and the opening of criminal cases against the heads of several developers. «We consider it unacceptable that citizens who invested money in purchasing housing are left without the promised apartments and without the ability to recover their funds,» the committee's statement reads. The agency stressed the need to reliably protect buyers' funds, ensure developers fulfill their obligations, and create transparent and equal conditions for all market participants.

Escrow accounts: what changes are proposed

A specific mechanism for protecting equity holders is already being discussed in parliament: a bill under consideration by the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis provides for the introduction of an escrow account system. Buyers' money will be held in special bank accounts and transferred to developers only after the established conditions are met — meaning funds will no longer be placed at a company's disposal before actual construction. The committee stated that this system must be implemented as soon as possible. Thus, the agency's statement concerns not only the conflicts that have already erupted, but also a change in the very rules of the housing market.

The Imarat Development case and Khamdamov's detention

The committee's statement came immediately after the events surrounding Imarat Development. On November 1, the Tashkent City Police Department opened a criminal case against the company's leadership on signs of fraud, as well as abuse of official authority by the heads of a non-governmental organization. On November 2, it became known that Marat Khamdamov, the owner of the construction project, had been detained under procedural procedure; according to Kun.uz, he was involved in the case as a suspect.

Background: buyer complaints and the Rohat developer's debt

The conflict around Imarat Development had been reported earlier: in December 2025, Daryo published a journalistic investigation into the housing conflict surrounding the company. Buyers who signed contracts with Marat Khamdamov in 2023–2024 claimed they had been misled about the location of the buildings: they believed the housing was in the Sergeli district of Tashkent, but the properties turned out to be in Tashkent Region. Another scandal had also been reported earlier: apartments in the Rohat residential complex in the Yashnabad district, built by Broccoli Plus LLC, were put up for auction due to the company's $5.5 million debt to a bank — hundreds of buyers of this residential complex, according to media reports, risked being left without housing.