Cost free advice on renovation

The challenges of repairing and renovating historical buildings

Many of the inhabitants of historical buildings are faced with an unfamiliar situation as a result of the privatization of state owned residential property. Having once been tenants, they are suddenly confronted with being an owner of an apartment or even a house, a role of which they have little experience. Most of these new owners have no knowledge of building maintenance or renovation, nor do they have the financial means to pay for often-needed maintenance or renovation work. An even bigger problem is when different owners in the same building have to agree on repairs and renovations in the building’s common areas, and the financing needed. Very often, this problem can’t be resolved, and no work is done, leading to the visible decay of facades, roofs, staircases, courtyards, etc.

Cost free advice for owners and tenants of historical buildings – the way it works.

Offering owners and tenants cost free advice on repairing and renovating historical buildings has already been done in other European historical cities, and has had positive effects on the urban regeneration of those cities.

There are often however two obstacles to overcome: firstly, a lack of understanding of how an historical building is constructed; and secondly, a lack of information or guidelines on appropriate ways to solve problems with historical buildings. A free advisory service aims to mitigate these drawbacks and help owners and tenants renovate their properties in historically sensitive and technically correct ways.

Owners present their concerns to an Urban Renewal Office (at the City Hall, a NGO, etc.). They appoint consulting architects who can make an assessment of the situation and offer advice directly on site, or in more complicated cases, in a written report. The consultants make recommendations as to how to proceed, and can even help moderate discussions between the co-owners of the building.

The service is free of charge for owners. The consulting architects are paid by the city authorities or others. 

The cost free advisory service in Lviv

Since 2010, the Ukrainian-German Cooperation Project “Municipal Development and Urban Rehabilitation of the Old City of Lviv”has offered cost free advice to owners and tenants on repairing and renovating historical properties in the project area.

Local architects are employed by the Cooperation Project to provide the advisory service, which differs from usual architectural work in that counselling and moderation between owners is often called for.

The advisory service has been used in 32 cases till May 2011. The service is not restricted to private individuals: it is also available to public and other institutions.