Riga remains unable to make owner repair landmark building

Riga remains unable to compel the owner of a crumbling Art Nouveau building on Marijas Street to repair it, LSM reported, citing the LTV programme 4th Studio. The 1904 building at Marijas Street 6 is a local architectural monument and has been officially classified as a deteriorating structure since 2015.

The Riga municipality decided in 2018 to order repairs and impose fines. Since then, it has issued 17 enforcement orders imposing more than 65,000 euros in penalties. More than 17,000 euros remain unpaid. The owner, an Estonian citizen according to Land Register data, regularly challenges the orders, but courts have rejected her objections, the municipality said.

The owner considers it more advantageous to continue litigating or pay the fines than to repair the building, the report said. The municipality says it cannot take the property from her: expropriation would be possible only if essential to a state or municipal function, and the building is not needed for Riga’s municipal duties.

Under the Construction Law, owners must maintain their buildings. If they fail to do so, the building authority can impose fines, including a fine for every seven-day period. Riga’s municipality said this is among the tools available to pressure an owner to address any part of a building that poses a danger to the public.