Where do the responsibilities of each owner or occupier of an apartment building start and end?

Where do the responsibilities of each owner or occupier of an apartment building start and end?

Agree, everyone thinks about buying a home sooner or later. And the decision to buy one’s own property is an important part of one’s life. Ownership is often associated with an understanding of freedom, decision-making, and self-expression. However, it must be understood that the relationship between the owners or users of the premises is mandatory in matters of common property.

Giedrius Eidimtas, the head of ”Civinity” Lithuania, one of the largest building maintenance and engineering solutions groups in the Baltic States, tells where the responsibility of each owner of an apartment building begins and ends.

A resident of an apartment building may own one or more objects in an apartment building, ie an apartment, a storage room, a garage or an attic. This right entitles the owner of the premises to manage and use his property at his own discretion, but without prejudice to the rights and legitimate interests of others.

And here is the common partial ownership – the right of several owners to manage and use the object of the right of ownership belonging to them. The owners of flats and other premises have the right of common partial ownership of the common use premises of the house: the main structures of the house, mechanical, electrical, sanitary-technical and other equipment for general use. Decisions on the disposal of common use objects shall be made by a majority vote of the owners of apartments and other premises.

“Owners or users of the premises of an apartment building have a duty to consult on a wide range of issues, such as the maintenance of the building, the execution of the planned work, and the liability and obligation to third parties. However, most disagreements between co-owners arise when the co-owners do not want to deal with the maintenance or repair of the common house, thus creating a risk of emergencies,” says Giedrius Eidimtas.

In the event of an accident in an apartment building, the owners or users of the premises must allow the house administrator, the company with which a maintenance contract has been concluded to eliminate the accidents, repair the public water, sewage, heat, hot water, electricity and other systems in the apartment and other premises.

If an accident occurs in the heating and hot water system, the maintenance of these systems or the authorized representatives of the supplier shall have the right, at least 24 hours in advance, to the owner of the apartment or other premises to inspect or repair the heating and hot water system or accounting devices.

If the owners of flats or other premises refuse to allow the heat supplier, home heating and hot water system operator or authorized representatives of the hot water supplier into their owner’s premises upon their written request, the system operator shall determine the amount of heat and hot water consumed by the owners of such premises. Methodology established by the Council.

The responsibilities of the owners of the premises could be divided into two groups. First, the owner can manage his personal property without hindrance, but in the event of an accident or threat of common property, he must take into account the law and the legitimate interests of others and not prevent third parties from fulfilling the obligation to maintain and care Head of Civinity.

It is important to understand that ownership is not absolute. The owners or users of the premises may not ignore the problems arising from the common property.