Almost all the first floors of apartment buildings in large cities are occupied by shops, restaurants, pharmacies, fitness centers and other businesses. The presence of outlets in the house is undoubtedly very convenient, but is not satisfied of all residents. They often complain about the noise, the constant flow of people and bright lights from the signs.
The website “Today” I understood why the first floors of homes are increasingly becoming commercial as it is responding tenants, and what to do if all these cafes, karaoke or shopping openly interfere with sleep at night.
Why you need commercial floors in apartment buildings
Apartments on the first floors usually use the smallest demand. So in new buildings, the first floors are increasingly giving for commercial premises. According to developers and experts, it improves infrastructure and makes the house more attractive to buyers.
“This creates so-called street of facades, i.e. people constantly on the street, they have places to go, always near the house there is some scope of service. Plus, even in Soviet times it was considered that housing on the ground floor has a slightly lower cost and a lower level of comfort than an apartment, even starting from the second,” – said in comments to the website, “Today,” Gregory Melnichuk, co-coordinator of the Council for urban planning of Kiev.
Also, the business is much more profitable to stay in homes rather than look for points in shopping centers, or to build a building entirely from scratch. Commercial first floors have long ceased to be the exception to the rule. This practice also developed in European cities.
“If we look at any modern European city and look at neighborhoods of Kiev, built before revolution in the conditions of market economy, we all see that the first floor is a commercial area, there are shops, cafes etc.” – says Melnychuk.
As apartments converted into rooms for business
As you know, the apartment owners are co-owners of anything else in the house: basements, elevators, attics, etc. that is why local authorities can’t give a floor of such buildings for new construction without the consent of the residents.
In order to convert the first floor of the house under your business, you need to translate premises in uninhabited. For example, in new buildings the first floor is by default allocated to the various shops, hairdresser, etc. By the way, the exact order of transfer of premises in uninhabited Fund in Ukraine does not exist.
However, in the non-residential will be transferred as a building, which is located on the first floor or above, but then under it have to be other facilities in nonresidential. Also it should be possible to equip a separate entrance. Another mandatory point – the absence of prescribed persons in the apartment, which is planned to translate in uninhabited Fund.
Even if all these conditions are met, it is still the denial of the permit can be obtained at a number of other reasons: contamination, noise increase, etc.
The fight at the legislative level
Periodically in the Verkhovna Rada registered the bill on to prohibit to place the bars, cafes, restaurants and other businesses on the first floor.
“Similar bills – it is absurd. Since, in principle, in all developed cities of the commercial first floor is the General rule,” says Melnychuk.
The expert adds that such bills can lobby the owners of shopping centers, which lack the tenants: “large shopping centres are half-empty and maybe it is this kind of lobbying.”
Where to go if it interferes
If the tenants know that the building, which was transferred to non-residential Fund, began illegally to reschedule (to bear load-bearing walls, etc.) they can complain to the housing Department and district administration. However, that will be of little, because the penalty for unauthorized alterations will be only from one to three non-taxable minimum (17-51 UAH).
Residents of houses where the first floor is given for commercial premises, most often complain of night music, bright lights from neon signs and unloading of goods.
“The residents cause resentment is that the noisy places that it satisfied any of the parties after the set time, and also, though to a lesser extent, supply goods if there is a large trading network,” says Melnychuk.
In such cases it is recommended to contact the public health services. After her representative will come to check, calls the police to record the level of noise or other disorders that disturb the occupants of the house.
