“We very often encounter a problem when residents of dilapidated residential buildings request more space than they have. The municipality cannot afford this,” the Mayor of the capital said at the session of the Tbilisi Municipality Government.

Kakha Kaladze once again expressed his condolences to the families of those who died as a result of the collapse of a dilapidated building on Tevdore Mghvdeli Street.

“I would like to start today’s session with the tragic incident that occurred two days ago on Tevdore Mghvdeli Street in the Didube district. Unfortunately, a dilapidated building collapsed, an accident occurred, and two people died. Once again, I express my condolences to the families of the deceased and their relatives. This is all very difficult.

I have made a number of clarifications during these two days, although we have talked a lot before, and I will provide the public with information once again. Dilapidated buildings are one of the serious challenges. Approximately 10,000 buildings and structures have been assigned different categories of dilapidation and, of course, require dismantling, renovation, and replacement with new ones. In 2021, we promised the people that we would introduce a specific program to replace such buildings. No one has the illusion that all buildings will be replaced in a few years, it is unthinkable,” the Tbilisi Mayor said.

Kakha Kaladze once again called on citizens who are facing similar problems to take advantage of the program to replace dilapidated buildings, as the municipality will stand as a guarantor and will deliver newly built apartments within a maximum of two years.

"We very often encounter a problem when residents living in dilapidated residential buildings demand more space than they themselves live in. The municipality does not have the opportunity to do this. An investor can do this, but we do not have the right to do this. I understand those people who are holding back, many are afraid, because if we look at history, there have been many cases when residents were not satisfied. Construction companies made commitments and failed to fulfill the agreement. This is how we ended up with a lot of unfinished construction and a miserable population that has been waiting for decades to receive their own living space.

Here we are already talking about the involvement of the municipality. The state structure stands as a guarantor and helps you. The most important thing is that the residents will have nothing to pay, the city hall will provide them with rent, and then, in about a year and a half or in two years, they will be given an apartment in a newly built building with the same space as they had. This is a very big opportunity. Once again, I call on everyone who lives in dilapidated buildings to take advantage of this opportunity," said Kakha Kaladze.