ALEPPO, Syria — The local council in Azaz, in Aleppo’s northern countryside, announced Jan. 29 the opening of the Department of Real Estate Interests tasked with processing all real estate paperwork in Azaz and its surrounding areas. The department started processing public requests Feb. 5.

The local council advised citizens who need real estate services to contact the new department or the competent court, according to the due process of law. Citizens who want to file a complaint or had their property taken over can refer to the court of ownership conflict resolution affiliated with the Azaz court. Once a case is settled in court, citizens would then head to the Department of Real Estate Interests to finalize the paperwork.

The court in Azaz refers to the Palace of Justice that was established in September 2018 in the city of al-Rai, in the northern Aleppo countryside. The Palace of Justice, which adopts Syrian law after amendments, is the main reference for all courts in the Euphrates Shield area.

Syrians in the areas under the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) control in northern Aleppo countryside have been without a local council real estate department since 2012, after the FSA seized from the regime Azaz and most towns in northern Aleppo. Since then, citizens have not been able to register, sell, buy or transfer ownership of property. In addition, many lost their documents proving ownership of properties due to the war and the ongoing displacement.