On 3 December, 627 preferential apartments offered for sale by Azerbaijan’s State Housing Development Agency (MIDA) were sold out within seconds. Although the process was meant to run for several days, most prospective buyers reported system failures and said they were unable to select a flat.
At 11:00, a new stage of preferential housing sales opened: 627 apartments were put on the market in Baku’s Binagadi district and the settlement of Govsan, as well as in Sumgayit, Lankaran, Shirvan and Yevlakh. According to official information, the process was supposed to continue until 11:00 on 12 December.
However, posts on social media indicate that the apartments were sold “within seconds”. Many users wrote that they were unable to access the system, encountered errors, and could not proceed to the final selection stage.
The number of people reporting technical problems was so high that it raised doubts about whether the sale had been conducted fairly.
Interior Ministry: ‘Twelve detained over illegal sale of preferential apartments‘
Alongside the housing sale, the Interior Ministry issued a statement announcing the detention in Baku of 12 people suspected of the illegal sale and rental of preferential apartments. The ministry said these individuals had attempted to sell state-provided preferential housing through online platforms and social media.
The names of the detainees were not disclosed.
The development once again raises a long-standing question in Azerbaijani society: are preferential apartments really reaching those who need them?
What went wrong with the system?
ICT experts and users say that when the sale opened, the system was hit by thousands of requests at once. The servers were unable to cope with the load, leading to widespread failures. Some requests were processed, but most buyers were unable to log in and complete the selection process.
Technology expert Farid Pardashunas notes that, from a technical standpoint, it is possible for some users to gain access while others encounter errors — but this does not make the process fair:
Citizens should be guaranteed equal conditions for participation. The current model is essentially a speed race. Apartments end up going to those with better technical capabilities.
In his view, access to preferential housing should not depend on connection speed and requires a fairer mechanism — for example, a direct lottery.
Same problem occurred three years ago — and results were annulled
This is not the first controversy surrounding the sales system. Three years ago, following similar complaints, the State Security Service intervened and the results of the sale were annulled. The system was later partially upgraded.
Yet the same questions have resurfaced: can the system handle the load? Were there any attempts at cyber interference? And is the sales process transparent? Another detail drawing attention is that MIDA has not yet issued an official statement on how the sale was conducted.
“It’s unfair because those without digital skills lose in advance”
Information security expert Osman Gündüz also believes the process raised doubts about its transparency and technical reliability:
Users faced mass failures and errors. This time, MIDA did not ensure any mechanism for public oversight. It is unclear how long the sale lasted and which institutions were involved in the process.
He adds that citizens with low digital literacy have “almost zero chance” of participating successfully in such a system — which runs counter to the principle of social fairness.
Purpose of preferential housing system
State housing construction was established in 2016 by a decree from President Ilham Aliyev. One of its key objectives is to increase access to housing for young families and socially vulnerable groups.
The age of young families applying must not exceed 35. Apartments are offered through a mortgage programme ranging from 3 to 30 years at an annual interest rate of 4 percent. The minimum down payment is 10 percent.
Given these conditions, high demand for preferential housing is hardly surprising.
Debate continues
The situation has once again shown that a model based on the speed of online access does not ensure equal opportunities and fuels public dissatisfaction. Experts and users therefore believe new mechanisms are needed: transparent lotteries, more robust server infrastructure, public oversight, and measures to prevent illegal transactions.
Attention is now focused on forthcoming official statements from MIDA, the State Security Service and other agencies expected to clarify the situation.
