The owners of homes in the "Baba Alino" area in Varna issued an appeal to the mayor of the city, Blagomir Kotsev, demanding that attention be paid to the situation in which dozens of families living on the territory of the complex are.
Here is the text of the appeal of the residents of Forest Club, quoted by "Focus":
We, the residents of Forest Club, m. "Baba Alino" - city of Varna we appeal to the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Mayor of Varna - Blagomir Kotsev and the leadership of the Municipality of Varna with a request to pay attention to the situation in which dozens of families living on the territory of the complex find themselves.
We ask for an urgent personal meeting with the Mayor of Varna, with representatives of the municipality and lawyers, as well as for the creation of a working group that will delve into the situation in detail and find a legal and maximally fair solution.
We, the residents of Forest Club, actually find ourselves hostages of a legal and administrative dispute to which we have nothing to do. We are bona fide buyers of real estate.
We have notarial deeds for objects that belong to us. A number of families have purchased real estate using bank loans, which means that before concluding transactions, not only the buyers themselves were checked, but also the properties accepted by the banks as collateral for the loans. The properties are then officially declared to the Municipality of Varna and separate tax accounts are created for them. Throughout the entire period, the owners have paid and continue to pay taxes and fees to the municipal budget of Varna.
In addition, some documents, including certificates of tolerance, have also been issued by the competent authorities and employees of the municipal administration.
That is why we have a fundamental question:
How can an ordinary citizen assume that there are problems with the property he has acquired, if the transaction was officially completed, the ownership was registered, the property was accepted by the bank, the municipality registered it for tax purposes and has been accepting tax payments from the owner for years?
If today representatives of the Municipality of Varna claim that there are violations with respect to some properties, the residents have the right to receive a clear answer: how could such a situation arise and why is it now proposed that the consequences of decisions or actions of institutions be transferred to the bona fide owners?
Among us are families who live in our homes for a long time. Our personal belongings are here, our children and loved ones live here.
Instead of an open dialogue, residents are faced with constant uncertainty, threats of restricting access to their own homes and problems related to water and electricity supply, inspections and administrative pressure.
Dozens of people cannot live for months in a state of fear and expectation that tomorrow they will be limited in the ability to use their own housing or vital infrastructure.
Citizens of Bulgaria, Ukraine, Israel, Germany and other countries of the European Union live here. We are all in the same situation. We purchased real estate, paid for it, registered our ownership, paid taxes to the state and the municipality and continue to pay, and we proceeded from the fact that officially executed documents are grounds for trusting the legality of the transactions.
Today, we residents are particularly concerned that, given the scale of the situation, there is still no direct and systematic dialogue with us.
Therefore, we are publicly appealing to the Mayor of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev, for a meeting with the residents of Forest Club. We also appeal to the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria to pay attention to what is happening and to facilitate the search for a legal and moral solution that will not destroy the rights of bona fide owners.
We propose the creation of a joint working group with the participation of:
representatives of Varna Municipality;
representatives of competent state institutions;
lawyers;
representatives of the owners of Forest Club.
The task of this group should be to study the documents for each disputed object and develop a specific mechanism for resolving the situation.
We do not want special treatment. We ask for transparency and dialogue.
We are also extremely concerned by the constant public attention that specific political representatives pay to the complex, their appearance together with the constant photo and video filming of the residents and their homes and the violation of basic – personal rights guaranteed by the Constitution. The housing complex is a place where families live, not a platform for political confrontation and a place for demonstrations and confrontations.
We must not become an instrument of political struggle.
If the situation continues to develop without constructive dialogue, and the pressure on the owners continues, we will be forced to defend our rights by all means provided for by the law, including contacting competent European institutions, human rights organizations and international media. But today, above all, we want to resolve this issue here - in Bulgaria, through dialogue with municipal and state institutions.
Once again, we emphasize: we did not create this situation. We are ordinary people who have purchased real estate under official contracts, registered ownership, taken bank loans, registered properties and paid taxes for years. We have the right to know why the documents we trusted and based on which we made transactions are being questioned - and what solution the state offers to people who acted in good faith.
We insist on:
an open dialogue;
a face-to-face meeting with the mayor of Varna;
the creation of a working group;
an individual review of documents by site;
preventing pressure on residents and unjustified restrictions on access to their property and utilities;
a specific plan to resolve the situation.
Behind each property here are no square meters or cadastral numbers. Behind them are families, children, life savings, bank loans and human destinies. And that is why this situation does not require political statements, but responsibility, dialogue and a concrete solution.