A total of 131,983 housing units have been repaired and rebuilt to date under various housing reconstruction models.
The sale of housing without the permission of the Ministry before the expiry of a period of ten years after the reconstruction and failure to move into the rebuilt dwelling is against the law and incurs financial or criminal liability, the Ministry says.
It further says that buyers of the rebuilt housing units have no obligations towards the Ministry, but that, in cooperation with the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it will look into the legality of such purchases.
The Ministry says it does not keep a record of rebuilt houses by the owner's ethnic background and that it has no information about the number of such units being advertised for sale.
Under the law on war-affected areas, a person entitled to reconstruction aid is required to move into the rebuilt dwelling within 30 days of technical inspection and reside in it for at least 10 years. During that period the occupier may not sell the property without the permission of the Ministry, otherwise he is required to repay the money that was invested in its reconstruction under the Post-War Reconstruction Act.