Russian Commissioner for Human Rights Yana Lantratova called for an investigation into the housing situation of a woman and her son after she lost her apartment because of her ex-husband’s bankruptcy.
In the case, the woman faced her ex-husband’s bankruptcy proceedings after their divorce. Both spouses were co-borrowers on the mortgage loan used to purchase their jointly owned apartment. The woman continued living in the home with her son.

After learning that payments were overdue, the woman paid off the debt and continued making the mortgage payments. She petitioned the court to preserve the apartment for herself and her son and to continue the loan under the previous repayment plan, but her request was rejected.
The apartment was later sold at auction for a low price. As a result, the family lost all the money it had spent on the down payment and renovations and was also deprived of the opportunity to purchase a new home.

Lantratova said that a person who has fulfilled their obligations in good faith should not lose their only home because of an ex-spouse’s bankruptcy. The human rights commissioner stressed that adults’ family disputes and financial decisions should not leave children, particularly in families with children, homeless.
Lantratova called on the relevant institutions to carefully examine the case to protect the woman’s rights and her son’s housing interests.