Tenants of denationalised buildings in Riga invited to apply for a one-off housing vacating allowance

As the new Residential Tenancy Law will enter into force on 1 May this year, Riga City Council will begin paying the one-off housing vacating allowance established by the law to tenants of denationalised buildings.

The amount of the allowance will depend on the number of family members registered to receive it. The basic amount of the allowance is 14,300 euros; an additional 4,300 euros will be granted for each person. This means that the allowance granted to a one-person family will be 18,600 euros, to a two-person family – 22,900 euros, and to a three-person family – 27,200 euros.

The one-off allowance may be used to purchase real estate – as payment to the seller of a residential property  - a house or apartment, or a plot of land with building rights, on the basis of a purchase agreement (in the form of a notarial deed) for the purchase of real estate,  or   as an advance payment of residential rent, by concluding a residential tenancy agreement for a period of at least 10 years and registering it in the Land Register.

In order for a person (family) to qualify for the housing vacating allowance, they must be registered in the relevant register, which lists tenants of apartments in denationalised buildings who wish to receive housing vacating allowances. To do so, an application, together with the required documents, must be submitted to the Housing and Environment Department of Riga City Council. The application must be signed by all adult family members applying for the allowance. The application may be placed in the mailbox located at 49/53 Brīvības Street, in the vestibule on the first floor near the entrance to the panoramic lift, or sent by post to the Housing and Environment Department of Riga City Council, 49/53 Brīvības Street, Riga, LV-1010. The application may be submitted electronically to the email address dmv@riga.lv, signed with a secure electronic signature, or by using the “Application to an institution” e-service on the www.latvija.lv portal.

In order for a person (family) to be registered to receive the housing vacating allowance, they must meet the following requirements:  

- the person (family) lived in the denationalised building until the decision on its denationalisation was adopted and continues to live in this property, as confirmed by a certificate issued by the owner or property manager; 

- the person does not own a residential property suitable for habitation, any plot of land in Riga, or a plot of land outside Riga measuring at least 1 hectare; 

- the person has not voluntarily alienated the aforementioned real estate after 31 March 2004, and the average three-month income per person in a one-person household does not exceed 500 euros per month, while in a household consisting of two or more persons it does not exceed 400 euros per month (to obtain this statement, the person (family) must contact the Riga Social Service; a politically repressed person is not required to provide a statement of income).

The Housing and Environment Department has already sent information letters to those persons who, in accordance with the procedure established by law, are registered in the priority register for receiving the housing vacating allowance.

At the time the allowance is granted, the person (family) must meet all the criteria that formed the basis for registration to receive assistance. After the allowance is granted, the person (family) will be removed from the register for receiving assistance and from the register for receiving other types of assistance in which the respective person (family) is registered.

Information about which documents must be attached to the application in order to register, as well as any other additional information about the one-off allowance, can be obtained on the website of the Housing and Environment Department of Riga City Council or by calling 67474700.

Information prepared by: Chief Public Relations Specialist of the Director’s Office of the Housing and Environment Department and Project Coordinator of the Communications Department of Riga City Council

Author:

Communications Department of Riga City Council