MIHAJLOVIC: Law amendments for effective combat against irresponsible investors

Amendments to the Law on Legalization of Buildings and the Law on Construction Planning will give the state, construction inspectors and local government new options for more effective fight against irresponsible and arrogant investors who build without permit and try to profit by breaking the law, emphasized Zorana Mihajlovic, Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure.

The ministry website issued a press release stating that “new tool available to everyone who enforce the law will make it easier to bring and act on decisions to remove illegally built property”

– So far we have seen that one of the main forms of misuse of the legalization of buildings was turning court procedures into marathon procedures as those on average last for years in Serbia. This legislation proposes that instead of acting on a final ruling, demolition can take place after the second instance ruling, the minister said and added that she expected the measure to lead to more removals of buildings than so far, since “removals depended on long-lasting administrative and court procedures.”

Mihajlovic also said that the changes will not only affect those who had already broken the law but act as preventative measure who want to get rich by illegal actions.

– The amendments to the laws also include a ban on sales for buildings until the legalization request is approved . The regulation is aimed at those irresponsible investors who would break the law and avoid paying construction and public utility fees in order to get rich, Mihajlovic said.

She pointed out that the changes would give municipal and city inspectors more power but also more responsibilities that are supposed to lead to an end of the illegal building.

Ministarstvo građevinarstva, saobraćaja i infrastrukture Republike Srbije

Zorana Mihajlovic

Law on Legalization of Buildings

Law on Construction Planning

legalization of property

removal of illegally built property

construction inspection

communal inspection

sale of property