The legislative initiative has been adopted in the first reading and introduces a new mechanism for updating the housing stock in the country. This was reported by Upl.uz.
This mechanism allows for the reconstruction of houses without the consent of the majority of consumers in certain exceptional cases. The point is that such a procedure will be applied to houses officially recognized as dangerous and unpromising by a special commission.
The new project envisions regulating the reconstruction process in the field of urban planning. This process establishes the procedure for implementing projects and compensating property owners.
Typically, at least 80 percent of property owners' notarized consent is required to initiate the reconstruction process at the initiative of investors or homeowners. According to Deputy Minister of Justice Mahmud Istamov, if four out of five property owners do not support the project, the reconstruction proposal will not be considered.
However, the law also provides for exceptional cases. Head of the Economic Legislation Department of the Ministry of Justice, Khidiral Sodikov, stated in a podcast that for buildings in dangerous conditions, 80 percent consent is not required.
For example, even if a person living in a wooden house opposes reconstruction, if a fire occurs tomorrow, it will not only damage their house but also harm the neighbors. If the commission deems the house outdated, dangerous, and uninhabitable, the draft law allows the reconstruction process to begin without the majority's consent.
According to the Ministry of Justice, there are currently approximately 42,000 multi-apartment houses in Uzbekistan. Of these, nearly 17,000 are considered low-rise buildings with two to three floors.
Officially, 343 houses have reached a dangerous condition by extending their normative service life. The Deputy Minister of Justice describes the current situation as follows: many people are forced to live in old houses that do not meet safety and comfort standards.
Engineering networks—electricity, water, and gas supply—are outdated, and some houses lack sewage systems altogether. In some places, there are still toilets in the yard.
The reconstruction program encompasses great opportunities. According to calculations, instead of 17,000 low-rise houses, it is possible to build 13,500 modern multi-apartment houses with 7-9 floors.
This will not only help update the housing stock but also assist in tripling the population in the area, creating opportunities for more efficient use of urban infrastructure and energy resources. Most of the two- to three-story houses were built in the 1950s and 1960s, and their service life typically lasts 50-60 years.
Therefore, many of them have now fully completed their service life, and the issue of their replacement is urgent.
