Due to the dangerous condition of the building, the responsible services of the Riga municipality have called on the residents of the building on Ventspils street 25 to voluntarily leave their living quarters and use the help offered by the municipality until the building is put in order.
The building is in a state of emergency and the City Development Department of the Riga City Council, after its inspection, has recognized that the operation of the building must be stopped immediately until the danger is eliminated. If residents do not leave the building voluntarily, the municipality will have to carry out forced evictions and restrict access to the building. Residents must voluntarily leave the building by February 28, while the building’s danger must be removed by June 30.
Until now, both the municipality and the building manager “Rīgas namu pārvādārs” (RNP) regularly communicated with the residents, trying to find solutions for arranging the building and preventing the danger, however, the apartment owners could not agree on a specific course of action.
The emergency situation of the building escalated rapidly at the moment when the demolition of the barn was illegally carried out in the adjacent area of the neighbor’s house. The specific building is a cultural monument, therefore all documentation related to the building must be coordinated with the National Cultural Heritage Administration. On September 20, 2022, a general meeting of apartment owners was organized to decide on house maintenance options and solutions, as well as taking over management rights. Unfortunately, only 5 out of 15 apartment owners of the residential building came to the general meeting, so decisions on the mentioned issues were not made.
According to the order of RNP, a technical inspection of the building was carried out, during which problems to be avoided were identified. Also, RNP has ordered a possible building renovation project, after which the residents will be able to make a decision on the next course of action – to demolish, preserve or restore the building after evaluating and familiarizing themselves with the estimate.
There are three municipal apartments in the building, the tenants of which have been offered temporary living quarters by the Housing and Environment Department of the Riga City Council. The owners of the remaining 12 apartments can now apply to the municipality for renting temporary living space or they must look for a temporary home themselves.
Residents who, due to limited financial resources, are unable to move from building 25 Ventspils Street to a new place of residence in the capital, can contact the Riga Social Service, Ed.Smiļģa Street 46, with a request to evaluate the possibility of receiving material assistance to cover moving expenses, phone number 67012270 for inquiries.
If the building is unusable, the Riga Municipality offers apartment owners both social assistance and the opportunity to live in temporary accommodation.
About social assistance
Evacuated residents have the right to receive a crisis benefit from the municipality – up to 620 euros per person or up to 1240 euros per family.
The benefit in a crisis situation can be requested within two months from the day of the crisis situation.
Residents can apply for crisis benefits to the Riga Social Service by calling 67105048.
Residents are also invited to contact the Social Service if they need any other help, such as clothing, food packages, renewal of documents, or any other social support. More information on social assistance options is available by calling 80005055.
For temporary housing
Residents who need temporary living space are currently offered a room in a municipal hotel (up to 5 days). We invite you to contact the municipal police at 110 regarding accommodation options at the hotel.
Injured and endangered persons have the right to apply for a temporary living space and a one-time allowance for repairs in the event that the living space or residential house has suffered as a result of an act of terrorism, natural disaster, accident or other disaster and the Department of Urban Development has made a decision to prohibit the operation of the residential house until the danger is eliminated.
Temporary living space can be assigned to:
– to the apartment owner who is declared at Ventspils street 25 and has no other apartment properties in Riga;
– to the tenant who is declared at 25 Ventspils Street and has a valid rental agreement.
Low-income apartment owners can register for assistance in renting a social apartment:
-persons who have reached retirement age living independently;
- persons living alone with group 1 or 2 disabilities;
- families in which all family members are persons who have reached retirement age or persons with group 1 or 2 disabilities.
In order to receive residential premises rented by the municipality, where you can stay for up to 6 months, but no longer than a year, residents should apply to the Housing and Environment Department of the Riga City Council at 49/53 Brīvības street. In case of consultations, please contact by phone no. 67474700.
If the premises are recognized as renovable, the apartment owners will be able to apply for a one-time allowance for repairs – up to 10,000 euros.
Important! Residents can also submit submissions and apply in person for the services provided by the municipality at the Neighborhood Residents’ Center (AIC) of the city of Riga. More detailed information can be obtained by writing to the AIC e-mail: [email protected] or by calling AIC toll-free: 80000800.
