Uylari.uz editorial

How to check an apartment’s utility debts before buying in Tashkent

A practical process for checking utility accounts, building-management charges, meter readings and the handover of payments before buying an apartment.

Utility debts should be checked before paying a reservation amount or deposit and then checked again shortly before the notarial sale. One receipt or a verbal assurance that “everything is paid” is not enough. Electricity, gas, water, wastewater, heating, waste collection and apartment-building management may use separate accounts, billing periods and data sources. The buyer’s task is not to reach a legal conclusion alone. It is to collect current information for the same cadastral property, record meter readings and resolve discrepancies before money and possession change hands.

Uzbekistan’s Single Portal of Interactive Public Services provides a service for viewing a property’s utility accounts. After signing in, a user selects the cadastral number and receives information about the presence or absence of an individual’s utility debt. The government portal also links separately to a check for debts owed to building management service companies. These tools cover different parts of the question. Neither replaces a physical meter check, a review of the billing period or the notarial process.

Identify the exact property first

Ask the seller to show the cadastral number in the current extract and compare it with the number selected in the public service. The address, apartment number, area and property shown in the supplied materials must refer to the same home. A similar address, an old apartment designation or another person’s account can make a genuine certificate irrelevant to your purchase.

Record the date and time of every result. A certificate describes the data when it was generated. A new charge, payment or correction may appear between that date and the final calculation. The first check should therefore take place before the buyer assumes a financial commitment, and the second as close as practical to signing and handover.

If only the seller can access the service, do not ask for a OneID password or verification code. Let the seller sign in and display the result. With the owner’s permission, retain a copy or screenshot that shows the property, date and outcome while excluding unrelated personal information.

Put each charge on its own row

The government’s utility information includes cold and hot water, wastewater, electricity, gas, heating and waste collection. The exact set of accounts may differ for a particular building and apartment. Add a separate row for mandatory building-management or common-property maintenance charges issued by the management service company.

Build a table with the service, provider, account number, latest charge, latest payment, balance, date checked, meter reading and source. Do not merge several providers into one reassuring total. A zero electricity balance says nothing about gas, water or building management.

If a balance carries a plus or minus sign, confirm how that provider labels debt and credit. Interfaces are not uniform. A colour, a negative number or the word “balance” should not be interpreted by analogy with another service. Keep the source visible so that the seller, buyer and professional adviser can review the same item.

Check building-management charges separately

Payments for maintaining a multi-apartment building may not resemble an ordinary electricity or water bill. Gov.uz provides a separate path to check debts owed to management service companies. Confirm which organisation currently manages the selected building, the name of the charge and the period covered by the balance.

Ask the seller to obtain the apartment-specific result and, when necessary, reconcile it with the management organisation. An official document or service result, an employee’s message and a neighbour’s comment are not equivalent evidence. All may be noted, but each source needs a clear label. If the organisation named on a receipt differs from the current manager, request an explanation before making a payment.

Ask about a period not yet included in the last calculation. The current month may still be open on the viewing date. There is no need to invent the future amount. Record the last month included, when the next charge is expected and how the parties plan to deal with the transition period.

Record the meters and their readings

An account balance and actual consumption are related but different facts. During the final inspection, photograph every accessible meter with the seller’s permission. The device number and reading should be legible, with the date and time recorded alongside them. Look at the seal without touching the equipment.

Compare the device number with the receipt, provider account or installation record when one is available. A mismatch does not prove wrongdoing: the meter may have been replaced and the account updated later. It is nevertheless a precise question to resolve with the provider or public service before the handover is completed.

Government information states that debt and late payment may be grounds for disconnecting certain utilities. The buyer should therefore look beyond a zero balance and establish whether the service works, whether a charge is disputed and whether any meter replacement has been recorded. If a service is disconnected, do not treat “it will be restored after the sale” as an established fact. Request a documented status and the current restoration procedure.

Understand the notary’s check without postponing everything

An apartment sale in Uzbekistan is subject to notarisation and state registration. Gov.uz lists a debt check through the automated Notarius information system among the additional actions connected with the transaction. This is an important control, but it should not become the buyer’s only check.

Before the appointment, understand which property the information covers, which services are included and which billing period is shown. Ask the selected notary for the current list of checks and documents for your particular transaction. If the system reports a debt or restriction, do not try to bypass the message or alter data simply to continue. The seller should address the cause and obtain an updated result.

Do not pay a seller’s provider directly without a clear written basis and appropriate professional advice. Paying somebody else’s account does not by itself document your arrangement with the seller or show that every other charge has been closed. Establish the amount and source first, then agree a documented resolution.

Define the handover boundary in writing

Prepare a list of account numbers and final readings for signing. A handover record can note the date and time, accessible device numbers, readings, receipts and keys delivered, and the parties’ agreement about charges for the transition period. The wording should be reviewed by a notary or lawyer who understands the specific transaction.

Keep the source certificates and photographs outside the general message thread. Name each file with the property, service and date. My.gov also offers an electronic route for requesting correction of utility information if inaccurate data remains. The ability to request a correction is not a reason to postpone a known discrepancy.

After registration, ask each provider and the management organisation how to update customer details or re-register the account. Do not assume that notarial registration updates every utility account at the same moment. Required documents, timing and contact method should come from the relevant organisation on the date of the request.

Warning signs before a deposit

Pause and ask for clarification if the seller shows a result for a different cadastral number, hides the date, refuses to reconcile the management company, cannot explain a meter-number mismatch or presents a disconnected service. A warning sign does not always make the sale impossible, but it requires checking before another payment.

An old certificate creates another gap. Even a debt-free result says nothing about later months. Repeat the query near the notarial appointment and compare it with the readings taken on handover day. Where two sources show different sums, record the discrepancy rather than choosing the convenient number: name the service, source, amount and current status, including “cause not established” when that is the truth.

A practical buyer’s sequence

1. Find a suitable home in theUylari apartment catalogueand save its listing number. 2. Obtain the property’s current cadastral number. 3. Ask the seller to generate the utility-account result through My.gov. 4. Check the management service company’s charges separately. 5. Put every service, account, period and balance into one table. 6. Compare accessible meter numbers and readings. 7. Ask the relevant organisation to explain unclear amounts. 8. Repeat the check before signing and discuss it with the notary. 9. Record final readings and delivered documents in the handover record. 10. After registration, update provider data through their current procedures.

A utility check is not a single paper saying that no debt exists. The useful sequence ties current results to the same cadastral property, separates providers and building management, captures physical readings and defines the handover date. If one part does not match, the next step is documented clarification before the transaction—not a guess or a rushed payment.