Construction Minister Explains What to Look for When Buying Housing in Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 17 December, during an open dialogue with entrepreneurs, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services, Sherzod Khidoyatov, gave recommendations to citizens on how to purchase housing safely.

According to the minister, all 24 areas of activity of the Ministry of Construction have been fully digitized and integrated with the Transparent Construction (Shaffof Qurilish) center. At present, inspectors visit construction sites and record the progress of work at all facilities using photo and video documentation.

“I would like to urge citizens: when purchasing housing, be sure to pay attention to whether the facility is registered with the Construction Inspectorate. If the facility is registered, this means that construction is being carried out on a legal basis,” the minister emphasized.

He noted that citizens can independently monitor the construction process through the Transparent Construction online platform, both on a daily and weekly basis.

Khidoyatov also stated that all stages, from the Tashkent Master Plan development through 2045 to the acceptance and commissioning of facilities, have been fully transferred to a digital format. All legal construction projects are displayed in the system with precise geographic references.

“Before the approval of the master plan, chaotic development was observed in the city. Now a strict electronic platform is in operation, which we launched about 20 days ago. If project parameters do not comply with the master plan—whether in terms of total or building area, or the number of floors—the system automatically, without human involvement, rejects the application at the upload stage, indicating non-compliance with the requirements,” the minister explained.

Under current regulations, before the start of construction and installation works, a facility must be registered with the Inspectorate for Control in the Field of Construction and Housing and Communal Services under the Cabinet of Ministers. At the same time, registration is not required for residential buildings no higher than two floors with an area of up to 500 square meters, as well as for non-residential facilities with an area of up to 300 square meters.

In April of this year, the Inspectorate for Control in the Field of Construction and Housing and Communal Services was removed from the structure of the Ministry of Construction and placed under the authority of the government. During inspections at construction sites, inspectors are required to use body-worn video cameras and special tablets.