Real estate

The State Construction Control Bureau explains that the Register of Residential Building Managers is maintained in the Construction Information System, with persons registered on the basis of an application or a court ruling. Managing buildings with an area above 1,500 m² requires at least a fourth-level professional qualification ("building caretaker") if the owners themselves or a person authorised by them manage the building, and a fifth-level qualification ("building manager") if management is entrusted to a legal entity or an individual merchant. The Law on Management of Residential Buildings also allows persons without a professional qualification to be registered if a management contract has been concluded.

An iBizness article (Artūrs Freibergs) on the amendments to the Tourism Law that entered into force on 10 July 2026 and implement EU Regulation 2024/1028 on data collection in short-term accommodation rental services. The law introduces the term "business tourism" and new requirements for short-term accommodation landlords (on Airbnb, Booking and other platforms) to provide data, and simplifies the granting of resort status to municipalities. The article is paywalled.

On 3 September the Saeima conceptually supported, in the first reading, urgent amendments to the Protection Zone Law widening the strip to be cleared of trees and shrubs under 110 kV power lines from 13 to 18 metres on each side of the line axis. The amendments affect landowners whose properties contain power line protection zones; the justification is that in the storm of 22–23 August around 70% of the damage to 110 kV lines was caused by fallen trees. The draft law still has to be adopted in the final reading.

On 3 September the Saeima supported, in the first reading, amendments to the Spatial Development Planning Law transferring the power to suspend municipal spatial plans from the Minister for Environmental Protection and Regional Development to the Cabinet of Ministers as a collegial body. Sectoral ministries will be obliged to inform the responsible minister if a plan's solutions threaten state interests in the fields of security, defence, energy, climate or the environment. The draft law still has to be examined in the final reading; no entry-into-force date has been set.

An e-consultation on an unclear rent invoice ("1.00 × 111.260 months = EUR 111.26"): most likely the unit of measurement is stated incorrectly – 111.26 is the area in square metres, and EUR 1.00 is the charge per m² per month. References are made to Sections 6 and 11 of the Accounting Law (true, understandable and traceable information), paragraphs 32–33 of Cabinet Regulation No. 877 (description of the service, unit, quantity, price) and Section 3 of the Consumer Rights Protection Law. It is recommended to request an explanation from the landlord in writing within 15 working days and, if matters remain unclear, to contact PTAC; payment should not be withheld without a verified calculation.

An e-consultation explains that under Section 4 of the Law on Apartment Ownership, balcony waterproofing layers form part of the residential building's common property – like the slab, load-bearing structures, external surfaces and railings. The apartment owner is responsible only for interior finishing elements (tiles, additions they installed themselves). If damage to the waterproofing causes structural damage or water leaks to neighbours, it is a matter of maintaining the common property, to be resolved with the involvement of the community of apartment owners and the manager.

An e-consultation (in cooperation with the association "Mājoklis") explains whether, after the legislative amendments granting the community of apartment owners the right to open a bank account, the manager must re-sign all utility service contracts in the community's name. Automatic re-signing of contracts is not required: existing contracts in which the manager is named as the community's representative remain in force; new contracts must state the community's name and registration number. It is recommended to keep the community's funds in the community's account, with invoices naming the community as the contracting party and the manager as its representative; the manager's remuneration is income from their own economic activity, held in a separate account.

An e-consultation on a flat being flooded due to the manager's negligence, where the manager has not drawn up a damage report within a week and does not reply to the submission. Legislation sets no specific deadline for drawing up a flooding report; the manager's duties are determined by the management contract and the community's decisions, as well as Cabinet Regulation No. 907 on the inspection and technical maintenance of residential buildings. A claim for damages may be brought in court at any time if negligence can be proven; it is advisable to document the damage (photos, expert assessment) and send a written warning with a 7-day deadline for a reply.

An e-consultation on a situation where the co-owner of an undivided share of a flat has died without heirs (on 10 January 2025 the property was declared heirless estate), but the manager issues invoices for the whole flat to the other co-owner. Under Section 416 of the Civil Law, a heirless estate passes to the state or the municipality (Section 73(5) of the Law on Local Governments – residential property to the municipality; state property has been managed by VAS "Valsts nekustamie īpašumi" since 1 January 2026). Each co-owner is liable only for their own share, so the manager should be asked to split the invoices according to the undivided shares, and the Land Register entry should be checked.

The Ministry of Justice is assessing the workload problem of Land Register judges: at the start of 2026, 13 of the 68 positions for judges specialising in Land Register cases were vacant, cases were handled by 55 judges, and Land Register cases make up around 74% of their workload. Transferring some Land Register functions to the forthcoming position of court lawyer is being considered; no decisions have been taken yet, but without changes it will be difficult to maintain the level of service going forward.

A guide to managing an apartment building: under the Law on Management of Residential Buildings, the apartment owners are responsible for managing the building and finance maintenance, the management fee and the reserve fund in proportion to their shares of the common property. Decisions of the community of apartment owners are adopted by more than 50% of owners' votes and are binding on all. Management may be carried out by the owners themselves or by a manager with the appropriate professional qualification; mandatory actions include roof and foundation repairs, technical inspections and emergency repairs, whereas improvements require a separate decision of the owners.

Ogre municipality plans to reorganise its companies and institutions, handing residential building management over to the private sector, since after the merger of four municipalities several structures perform the same functions in different areas. After the reorganisation, water supply, heating and building management will be provided by three specialised companies; the shares of SIA "Ogres namsaimnieks" are to be sold in an open tender, with up to 20% reserved for the company's employees. Water supply and heating remain under municipal control as strategic infrastructure.

Sworn attorney Dr. iur. Imants Muižnieks (Latvian Bar Council) answers a question on the use of a road servitude from a neighbouring property that is not the dominant property but on which a public institution has been set up, with visitor access and parking across the servient property. Referring to Sections 1130 and 928 of the Civil Law, he notes that restrictions on ownership are to be interpreted narrowly and, in case of doubt, a servitude exists to the smallest extent; the neighbour has no right to use the servitude if their property is not the dominant one, regardless of the intensity of use or the existence of alternatives.

Sworn attorney Gundars Lācis (Latvian Bar Council) explains when an increase in the rent for a municipal flat takes effect: under Section 31(1) and (2) of the Law on Residential Tenancy, the municipality sets the rent in its binding regulations, but the landlord must notify the tenant in writing, and the new rent takes effect one month after the notice. If the specific calculated amount was notified on 20 June, the new rent applies no earlier than from 20 July, regardless of the binding regulations entering into force on 1 July and the general information given in May.

Justice Minister Edvards Smiltēns met with Land Register judges to discuss future development models, including a proposal to shift some judicial functions to a new "court jurist" post. Land Register cases make up about 74% of the workload of specialised judges, and 13 of 68 posts are currently vacant. The Ministry pledged to compare several reform models on legal certainty, cost and service quality, with no final decision yet made.

The consultation explains that co-owners have a two-month right of first refusal when a share is sold to an outside party. If co-owners cannot agree on dividing shared property, any of them may petition a court to terminate joint ownership under Civil Law Section 1074, with the court able to award separate plots, compensation, a sale, or a lottery.

An e-consultation on LV portāls addresses a case where a municipality, when subdividing a plot for a new house, refused to allow use of an existing easement road and instead required a new 5.5-metre easement across a neighbour's land, costing the owners around €25,000. The response explains that newly created land plots must have documented access to a road or street under applicable regulations, and unresolved easement disputes can be settled through the courts.

In an e-consultation on LV portāls, sworn advocate Santa Blumberga-Švēde answers whether two residential buildings on shared land can have separate utility contracts (water supply, waste removal), or whether the property must first be divided. The answer depends on the legal status of the buildings and land (co-ownership, separate apartment units, lease rights) and whether splitting services is practically feasible; she recommends consulting utility providers and possibly agreeing on a co-ownership usage arrangement.

Amendments effective from 19 August transfer maintenance of the real estate intermediaries register from the Economics Ministry to the industry association LANĪDA. Registration becomes fully electronic and faster, while the EUR 40 registration/supervision fee and professional requirements stay unchanged. LANĪDA will not have access to tax or criminal record data.

At an extraordinary session, the Saeima urgently considered amendments to the National Security Law allowing temporary requisition of privately owned real estate in case of a threat caused by military operations. The initial seizure period would be 14 days, extendable by the Cabinet of Ministers, with compensation guaranteed to owners for any damage. The measure covers only emergency wartime powers, not peacetime nationalization.

In Riga's Imante district, a tenant repeatedly flooded neighboring apartments, and after the lease ended the landlord, Arturs, demanded the tenant vacate within two weeks — which the tenant refuses, denying fault. Attorney Janis Berovskis explains liability could fall on either owner or tenant depending on the accident's cause: the owner must maintain the flat so it causes no harm to neighbors, while the tenant answers for negligence. Where parties cannot settle, the dispute goes to court, and insurers are already pursuing the landlord for the neighbor's damages.

The explainer notes co-ownership can end by co-owners voluntarily agreeing before a notary, who drafts a division agreement filed with the Land Register, or through the courts if agreement fails. Courts may assign physical shares, award the property to one owner with compensation to others, order a sale, or use a lottery. The basis is Civil Law Articles 1074 and 1075.