The number of deals with property endorsed by Kyiv's notaries in 2012 grew by 36.8% compared to 2011, to 53,182, according to a report of the Stolychna Nerukhomist information and analytical portal (Kyiv), referring to acting head of the notary department of the chief justice department in Kyiv, Oleksandr Minert.

"The lion's share of the agreements were deals on sale of apartments and houses – 33,531 compared to 31,885 in 2011," reads the report.

According to the report, in H2, 2012, 31,708 agreements on sale of immovable property were registered (19,207 agreements on residential property) compared to 21,474 in H1, 2012 (14,324 agreements on residential property).

"Taking this into account, the second half of 2012 was more active on the property market than in the first six months of the year," the portal's specialists said.

As reported, referring to Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych, Ukrainian notaries in January-June 2012 endorsed almost 177,000 agreements on the sale of real estate, which is 2% up year-over-year.

He also said that almost 10% (over 17,000 agreements) of deals with property were endorsed by notories in Kyiv in H1, 2012, including almost 9,000 agreements on the sale and purchase of residential property, and the rest are gift, exchange and perpetual maintenance agreements and other agreements.

Notaries certified more than 254,500 apartment and private house sale and purchase deals in Ukraine in 2011, which is 13.2% up on 2010. Thus, in 2011 the first increase in the number of deals was seen since 2008.

Some 23,267 transactions were certified in Kyiv in 2011, 32,992 deals in Donetsk region, 13,465 in Odesa region, 9,466 in Lviv region, and 22,378 in Kharkiv region.