Lithuania’s Environment Ministry is preparing a procedure which would allow demolishing apartment blocks in poor condition and replacing them with new ones. Housing associations say this would force many elderly people to rent apartments instead of owning them.
The condition of Vilnius’ apartment blocks is deteriorating rapidly, while residents often disagree on renovation.
The Environment Ministry says it will soon present a procedure under which the housing associations will be able to demolish old apartment blocks that are too expensive to maintain, replacing them with new ones after attracting investors.
In addition, the ministry is preparing a legal framework, which would oblige managers of apartment blocks in a state of disrepair to rebuild dangerous buildings.
“In Vilnius, the inhabitants of a five-storey [apartment block] can give permission to add an extra floor, and it would be worth the investor’s while to renovate the house, install a lift, change the wiring and heating,” said Environment Minister Simonas Gentvilas.
The ministry has calculated that in other larger cities, such as Šiauliai, one additional floor would not be enough to renovate the entire apartment blocks, so at least two would be needed.
Virginija Remeikienė, president of the Šiauliai Apartment Block Owners Association, says that the Environment Ministry’s plans would turn pensioners living in old apartment buildings into tenants.
“If you are charged 50,000–100,000 euros, the older person will never pay, which means that they automatically lose the apartment and become tenants,” she said.
According to engineers, the Soviet-era apartment blocks have a shelf life of about 50 years, so it needs to be carefully assessed whether their structures could support the additional floors.
“It would require more detailed research on this. There would perhaps have to be a different structure for the top floor – maybe a lighter structure that would give good thermal insulation, good properties,” noted Arnoldas Šneideris, an associate professor at Vilnius TECH.
Real estate developers say that adding extra floors on old apartment blocks is not a promising idea. According to them, it would be better if dilapidated buildings were demolished and replaced with new ones.
“We have to look at the plot on which it stands and upgrade that plot to a new quality. Of course, this is related to the protection of the property, and the residents would have to be temporarily relocated somewhere, accommodated, and then returned to the new building,” said Mindaugas Statulevičius, president of the Real Estate Development Association.
Vilnius City Council is inspecting all apartment blocks. If irregularities are found, they must be corrected immediately, and if the building manager delays the repairs, the property tax is raised.
“Buildings that show signs of a possible state of disrepair are subject to more intensive maintenance. Those requirements are being made. In parts of the Old Town, the older parts of the city, the municipality has plans to support people,” said Marius Brigmanas, a spokesperson for the Vilnius City Municipality.
Recently, in the Žvėrynas district of Vilnius and the Old Town, buildings of historical significance have been renovated one by one. Owners of such properties can receive 80 percent reimbursement for the repairs.
“This year, the Vilnius Heritage Management Programme has been renewed, with increased opportunities for people to take part and also to recover part of the costs incurred during the renovation work,” said Donata Armakauskaitė, head of the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit at the Vilnius City Municipality.
Soviet-era apartment blocks had to be repaired 30 years after being built, but many have not been touched for 40 to 60 years. These are the buildings targeted by the Environment Ministry’s demolition plans.
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