The bill by which hotel and guesthouse owners will be obliged to renovate their units at their own expense is awaiting Parliamentary approval.
Owners of hotels and guesthouses in all resorts will be obliged within approximately 1 year and a half, but no more than 2 years, to ensure, at their own expense, the environmental-architectural rehabilitation of these buildings, as well as the street surroundings, and the cleaning and sanitization of the related land, so that the tourist reception structures operate under the conditions and classification criteria for which they were authorized.
The measure is provided for in a bill dating back to the Ponta Government, but which is only now set to receive the final vote from Parliament.
The project also enjoyed the support of the Tudose Government, which sent the Legislature a series of proposals to amend the initial project, which were taken up by MPs in the specialized committees.
„Owners of tourist reception structures in tourist resorts or in spa, climatic, and balneoclimatic resorts have the obligation to take, on their own initiative and at their own expense, measures for the environmental-architectural rehabilitation works of the constructions in their ownership and their related street fences, as well as for the cleaning and sanitization of green spaces and lands related to these buildings,” the bill states.
According to the project, construction interventions may consist of: repair/restoration of roofs and exterior wall masonry; repair/restoration of exterior finishes, such as plastering, painting, coatings, and the like; repair/restoration of exterior joinery and functional exterior elements, such as balconies, loggias, bay windows, attics, cornices, and the like; d) repair/restoration of street fences. Cleaning and sanitization works on green spaces and lands related to tourist reception structures in tourist resorts or spa, climatic, and balneoclimatic resorts consist of the aesthetic clearing of vegetation and the removal of plant remains and household or any other type of waste.
Hotel and guesthouse owners have the obligation to start the procedures for obtaining the building permit within a maximum of 3 months from the date the new law comes into force.
They also have the obligation to complete the environmental-architectural rehabilitation works within 12 months from the issuance of the building permit. The project explicitly states that the mentioned deadlines cannot exceed 2 years from the date the present law enters into force.
Delays for rehabilitation works will be calculated after the expiration of a 30-calendar-day period from the date of written notification, with acknowledgment of receipt by the owner, from the Ministry of Tourism, whose staff will be responsible for identifying contraventions and applying sanctions.
Fines of up to 5,000 RON for non-compliance. The Ponta Government had initially provided for fines ranging between 2-4 RON/sqm for the delay or non-completion of rehabilitation works, but the Tudose Government intervened and pointed out that thus the owner of a hotel with only 4 floors would have had to pay 6,000 RON for each day of delay, the fine for one month reaching about 40,000 EUR, well above the maximum limit of 100,000 RON established by the legal regime of contraventions.
Therefore, the fines, depending on the days of delay, will range between 6 and 60 gross national minimum wages.
Source: Profit
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the deadline for completing the renovations?
Owners have a maximum of 2 years from the law’s entry into force, with the obligation to apply for a building permit within the first 3 months.
What types of works are mandatory under the bill?
Works include restoring facades, roofs, exterior joinery, street fences, as well as sanitizing and landscaping the adjacent green spaces.
What sanctions do owners face for non-compliance?
Failure to meet deadlines can result in fines ranging from 6 to 60 gross national minimum wages, applied by the Ministry of Tourism.