Some construction companies in Tajikistan are deceiving citizens and refusing to recognize previously signed housing purchase agreements, according to Nizom Mirzozoda, Chairman of the Committee for Architecture and Construction under the Government of Tajikistan.
Speaking to journalists amid growing public complaints about developers, Mirzozoda stressed that housing purchase contracts should be notarized to avoid legal disputes, as notarization grants contracts full legal validity.
“When a contract is registered with a notary, it becomes legally binding and any disputes can be resolved through the courts. In such cases, the same apartment cannot be sold to multiple buyers. However, many construction companies avoid this procedure and deliberately evade registration,” he said.
According to Mirzozoda, serious shortcomings persist in the construction sector, including developers’ refusal to formally conclude purchase and sale agreements. He emphasized the need to improve legal awareness among citizens so they do not fall victim to fraud in the real estate market.
“There have been companies that genuinely deceived people: the same property was sold to one buyer, then the company went bankrupt and a new successor was appointed. The new owner refused to recognize earlier contracts and sold the same property again to someone else,” he explained.
Mirzozoda noted that such cases had been reviewed by the committee, and the offending companies were placed on a blacklist and barred from participating in future tenders.
He also announced the establishment of a working commission to draft amendments to Tajikistan’s Urban Development Code. Once adopted, the changes are expected to impose lifelong responsibility on developers and responsible individuals for the quality and structural integrity of residential buildings they construct.
Construction companies fined a total of 547,350 somoni
According to the Committee for Architecture and Construction, inspections in 2025 revealed 7,331 violations among 1,288 construction companies. The total amount of fines imposed reached 547,350 somoni.
In particular, Mirzozoda said that 72 companies began construction projects last year without obtaining approval from the state construction expertise authority.
“These companies continued construction and installation works without a positive state expert assessment. Such cases were recorded in Dushanbe (15), Roudaki district (8), Tursunzoda (10), Vahdat (90), and Kulob (9),” he stated.
Residents of Tajikistan frequently complain about fraud when purchasing apartments in new buildings, including cases where developers unlawfully sell the same apartment to multiple buyers. Other common issues include delayed construction, lack of water and electricity supply, and non-operational elevators.
About four years ago, Dushanbe’s Main Department of Architecture and Urban Development tightened construction requirements in an effort to protect equity holders and property owners and to prevent delays in project completion. However, observers note that these measures have not yet fully resolved the systemic problems in the sector.
