Residents of Yusuf al-Azma Suburb submitted a legal appeal after years of uncertainty surrounding ownership rights. Despite owning their homes and completing previous population surveys and ownership verification procedures, many remain unable to obtain official property documents.
The suspension of ownership registration has created a complicated real estate situation, preventing residents from carrying out even basic property transactions. “We live in our homes like strangers, we have no document proving that we own them,” Jaber al-Awad told Levant24.
Assad Regime Policies Continue to Affect Residents
Property records in the suburb have not yet been transferred to civilian housing authorities because of their previous affiliation with military housing institutions under the Assad regime. Although the majority of current residents are civilians, their property files remain tied to that administrative structure.
Residents say some properties were previously connected to individuals who faced court rulings or had security-related files before the fall of the regime. As a result, authorities froze property records even when documented sales contracts later transferred ownership to new buyers.
The issue traces back to military housing projects and housing cooperatives that operated through temporary institutional records rather than formal registration within Syria’s permanent land registry system.
“We were placed under ‘military housing’ because the former regime imposed it on us. Today, we are civilians living in a new Syria, so why are our documents still being withheld?” Abu Abdurhaman told Levant24.
Legal Uncertainty Surrounds Property Transactions
Most property sales and purchases in the suburb now rely on private contracts prepared by lawyers rather than official land registration procedures. Without legally recognized mechanisms for ownership transfers, sales, or rental agreements, residents face significant legal uncertainty and an increased risk of future disputes.
Firas Khabbaz, a resident of the suburb, told Levant24 every attempt to complete a property transaction involving his home receives the same response, “Ownership is frozen.” He said residents fulfilled all legal requirements when purchasing their properties but still cannot formally secure their ownership rights.
Attorney Samir Obaid explained the properties subject to ownership freezes because of unresolved legal files or security-related concerns cannot be transferred until authorities complete the necessary reviews. “Properties affected by ownership freezes cannot be legally transferred, and no amendments can be made to the land registry until investigations are completed or an official decision is issued,” he said.
Officials Study Possible Administrative Transfer
Residents continue to call for the suburb’s records to be incorporated into the civilian housing system, allowing them to conduct property transactions through official channels. A joint committee from the Rural Damascus Governorate and the Ministry of Housing recently visited the suburb and conducted an inventory of residential properties. However, the visit has not yet produced concrete measures.
Muhammad al-Alloush, mayor of Yusuf al-Azma Suburb, told Levant24 the municipality has not received the results of the report submitted to the governorate and remains awaiting an official decision.
A senior official from the Rural Damascus Governorate, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Levant24 that after the Ministry of Justice returned the file, the governorate began preparing a study to transfer the suburb’s records to the Ministry of Housing and formally legalize ownership. The official said the process would require time and urged residents to remain patient while authorities complete the necessary procedures.
