Vilnius man says unauthorized house has appeared atop shared building's roof
A co-owner of an administrative building in Vilnius claims a structure of over 220 square meters, including an apartment with a sauna and pool, was built on the shared roof without owners' consent. The building inspection has so far found no violations.
Andrjus Norkus, who owns most of an administrative building on T. Ševčenko Street in Vilnius, has contacted Delfi Lithuania to complain about a structure that appeared on the building's shared roof. According to him, what used to be a small roof access point is now a 223.83-square-meter set of rooms containing a three-room apartment with a sauna and a pool.
Andrjus says the construction work initially raised no suspicion, since neighboring premises on the top floor belong to other owners and the activity seemed like ordinary renovation. The situation became clear by chance, when drone photographs showed rooms with large windows, a wooden terrace, outdoor furniture, plants and a trampoline.
Documents mentioned only repairs
According to the man, the submitted project documents referred only to a simple repair of the roof access, but the current premises are far larger than the original small exit. He stresses that the co-owners never gave consent for such construction and believes no permit for reconstruction was issued either.
Comparing photos from 2005–2006 with recent ones, he notes that no structure existed in that corner of the roof previously. He also cites data from a Lithuanian regional geoinformation service showing the same 223.83-square-meter area.
Inspection response unconvincing
When Andrjus first contacted the Construction Inspection, he was told the structure had stood for a long time and that his complaint came too late. During a later inspection, co-owners were unable to enter the rooftop premises together with inspectors despite an agreement to do so. He says the inspection later reported that it had carried out the check without them and found no violations — no sauna, pool or house on the roof. Delfi has contacted the relevant state inspection and the Vilnius municipality for comment.
