forced out of Hungary during WWII, can I get my house back?

Question

my mother in law had to leave her house in hungary at gunpoint. at the time she was 5 years old, her father died in the war and her mother in the 80's.
can she get her house back?
does anybody know any details about this?

Answer 1

I really doubt it. My wife's mother and father both separately lost their houses in the war, and my wife's mother's family lost their manufacturing plant in Bekescsaba. They didn't get any property back but compensation coupons from the Hungarian government. This is really the only way to compensate for the chaos that the war caused.

Answer 2

Possibly. You can inquire at the Hungarian Embassy:


Embassy of Hungary
Information Section
3910 Shoemaker Street, NW
Washington, DC 20008

or send an e-mail to:

[e-mail]

You may also call 202-362-6730/ext. 221 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.


Remember that your grandmother must have positive proof of her ownership and may be liable for back taxes and cost of upkeep and maintenance on the property going back 61 years or more.

Real Estate laws in most countries, including in most states in the US, allow whoever has been occupying the property unchallenged and has been paying taxes on it for more than 10 years to be the legal owner of that property. If Hungary has the same provisions, then your grandmother might not be able get her property back.

In any case, you'll need legal counsel and it's going to be a lengthy and possibly costly process. I know a Vietnamese-American family who went through the process to try to get their old house in Vietnam back. They had left it in 1975 at the end of the war there. By the time, all the costs are tallied up (legal fees , back taxes, maintenance costs) , the sum is the same as if you're buying that house at market price anyway! So you don't really gain anything financial, just psychological and sentimental value!

Answer 3

Only if you are millionaire and jewish and claim to be victim of holocaust.Unfortunately times of war have no justice otherwise.
Many hungarians lost their property in WWII including my family, I still live in Hungary, and my family and many other families had to make it back from scratch.Some compensation was given for victims of communist land claims known as compensation tickets popular term with the landmaffia too but for WWII things you have to be jewish.Not trying to be racist but that's how it works so if she is jewish she might have a chance.

Answer 4

My mother's uncle tried to get the government in charge of Austria in the late 1970s or early 1980s to pay the family back rent because their parents owned the land a town was built on and most of the surrounding farm land. After the man in charged quit laughing, my great-uncle was immediately declared persona non Grata and escorted to the air port.

Be careful how you ask!

Answer 5

I think we actually purchased your manufacturing facilities in Bekes a few years back. We have sold it since to a door and window manufacturer. If it was right of the road/highway and had some extra land in the front that was it, not right in downtown but just a kilometer outside.

Answer 6

She can if there is proof that they owned the house. There has to be a deed or something and proof that her family didn't actually sell the house.

I've seen it work in Bosnia so there is an international precedent for it.

Answer 7

Yes, Mexicans are in the process of trying the same thing with the US who forced us out of our property

Answer 8

I would research this by any records maintained by the country , or province of ownership of lands or housing.