More than 17 thousand owners will be affected by new requirements for building inspections 0 9

Amendments to the construction regulations establish specific cases when periodic technical inspections can be omitted for public buildings of the second and third groups or multi-storey residential buildings.

Inspections can be omitted if renovation or reconstruction work has been carried out in part of the building within the last ten years and has been accepted for use, if the construction authority has prohibited the use of the building, if the building is conserved or is not actually in use and is located on a fenced territory.

In cases where the building is not in use but is freely accessible from at least one side of the facade, a construction specialist during the inspection will need to assess at least the risks to the safety of passersby and the necessity of conservation measures. The BGKS explains that this will allow for the timely identification of potential threats to the environment and public safety, such as the risk of structural detachment, falling facade elements, or other hazardous damages, and ensure that the owner takes the necessary safety or conservation measures.

The amendments also introduce a new obligation for the building owner, or in their absence, for the legal owner, to inform the construction authority or BGKS about the actual non-use or resumption of use of a public building of the second or third group or a multi-storey residential building.

Currently, BGKS is actively working on improving the functionality of the Building Information System (BIS), so that from November 1, 2026, building owners can report actual non-use or resumption of use through BIS, rather than spending time directly contacting the construction authority or BGKS.

The amendments also stipulate that the construction regulations will no longer apply to inspections of linear engineering structures of power supply enterprises and related transformer substations, as well as to the safety assessment of elevators, since this is regulated by other regulations.

The director of BGKS, Baiba Vitolina, explained that technical inspections of buildings are an important tool for ensuring their safe operation. At the same time, it has been observed in practice that in some cases they were conducted formally — merely to meet regulatory requirements.

According to her, with the adoption of the amendments, regulation maintains safety control where it is truly necessary but allows for inspections to be omitted in cases where the building is not used or has recently been updated.

To improve the accessibility of information on the energy efficiency of buildings, the amendments also stipulate that during periodic technical inspections of state or municipal public buildings with an area of more than 250 square meters, energy certification must be conducted if the building does not have a valid energy certificate. BGKS explains that this approach will allow for the regular updating of data on the energy efficiency of buildings and support government policy on the renovation and decarbonization of the building stock.

The amendments also clarify the content of periodic technical inspections. In the future, during inspections, specialists will primarily assess the mechanical strength of the building's load-bearing structures, their stability and safety for operation, as well as check the availability of documentation for the maintenance of fire safety systems and visually assess any changes in the building that may worsen fire safety. BGKS notes that such clarifications help to more clearly delineate technical inspections of buildings from other areas of oversight, such as fire safety control.

BGKS reminds that building inspection specialists (certified construction professionals) will continue to be required to upload prepared technical inspection reports to BIS, which serves as a single platform for accumulating information on the technical condition and operation of buildings. This ensures transparent information exchange between industry professionals and institutions, as well as helps the government obtain up-to-date data on the technical condition of buildings and the real estate stock.

The amendments will be mandatory for more than 17,000 property owners — both individuals and legal entities — as well as for construction companies and specialists conducting periodic technical inspections.