The key facts
- A court in Sakhalin Region declared invalid the sale of an apartment for 2 million rubles with a market price of at least 5 million
- The deal was challenged by the daughter of the deceased owner, citing his illnesses
- The buyer lost both the apartment and the right to get his money back — no proof of payment was found
Court declares apartment sale invalid
In Sakhalin, a court has declared an apartment sale contract invalid and restored ownership rights to its former owner, who had already died by the time of the proceedings. This was reported by the unified press service of the courts of Sakhalin Region. The deal was challenged by the man's daughter: according to her, due to his illnesses her father did not understand what documents he was signing, had no intention of parting with his only home, and she learned of the sale only after his death.
What emerged during the proceedings
The daughter turned to the Dolinsky City Court demanding the contract be annulled. The buyer disagreed with the claim: he argued that he had acted in good faith, the seller was in an adequate state and signed the documents voluntarily, and that the money had been handed over. However, he had no convincing proof of the payment. The price became an additional argument: housing valued at no less than 5 million rubles was sold for only 2 million. The decisive factor was the medical circumstances — after examining records of the man's illnesses and an expert commission's conclusion, the court concluded that at the time of signing the contract the seller could not fully understand the meaning of his actions or control them.
Practical outcome for the parties
The contract has been declared invalid, the record of the buyer's ownership has been removed from the Unified State Register of Real Estate (EGRN), and the previous registration has been restored in the name of the deceased. In effect, the apartment must return to the estate of the former owner, whose heirs will be able to formalize their rights to it. Meanwhile, the decision has not yet entered into legal force and may be appealed. In the end, the buyer lost both the ownership rights and the ability to recover the money paid: his claims of having paid the seller were not supported by evidence. Earlier, Life.ru reported how buyers of resale housing can protect themselves from a deal being challenged: lawyer Matvey Sviridov warned that rushing into a contract and insufficient verification of the circumstances of the sale create serious risks for the new owner.
