The Ministry of the Environment is considering reducing fines for the unauthorized and new extension

Reversals in the method of calculating the fines in established settlements arbitrary is considering the Ministry of the Environment, in the context of the urban planning bill which is expected to be submitted to the Parliament by September. Under the current regime, the owners of real estate in areas where are located in large municipalities, such as e.g. the Heraklion of Crete, are required to pay excessive fines that reach 30 to 50 thousand euros in order to legalize based on the current law 4178/2013. The ministry estimates that this is the main reason why until now has been recorded the expected number of arbitrary.

The proposal, which is currently being drafted, stipulates that fines in areas of unauthorized construction will be determined based on the cost of transforming the illegal settlement into an organized city. This means that an urban development plan will be drawn up, which will determine the needs for roads, squares, and social infrastructure, while the cost will be shared among the owners based on the value of their property. In this way, they will pay less and only to cover the environmental balance corresponding to the illegal settlement. It has also been decided to exempt owners for small-scale illegal construction. This category includes changes to the interior of a building, e.g., the construction of a staircase or the relocation of a window, which do not affect the building conditions.

The settlement will be made by submitting a simple declaration by the owner, while today it is accompanied by a fine of at least €500. On the other hand, there will be high fines for those who have violated the building regulations of the area, such as the construction of an additional floor. Deputy Minister of Environment Yiannis Tsironis has publicly stated that emphasis will be placed on preventing illegal construction rather than taxing it after the fact. He has also promised that there will be no blanket approach to dealing with illegal buildings, while owners who can prove they are facing financial difficulties will be treated with sensitivity. According to information, the changes being prepared by the ministry will be combined with the registration of all buildings and the requirement for an electronic “identity” for all approximately 5.5 million properties, with a target date for completion of the measure by 2020. In this way, all changes made to a property after the building permit was issued will be recorded, but all illegalities will also be “filed.” Interventions made due to earthquakes will also be recorded so that future buyers are informed and protected from possible “cover-ups” of damage. For all these reasons, a further extension is being considered after October, when the deadline for declaring unauthorized construction expires. However, this will be accompanied by heavy fines for those who do not rectify the urban planning irregularities of their property.