On 28 July, the Cabinet of Ministers approved amendments drafted by the Ministry of Economics that strengthen the ability of apartment owners’ associations to act independently and make use of state support, including by entering into agreements in their own name.

Until now, under the support programme, a loan could only be applied for and received through an authorised person, namely a legal entity registered in Latvia. In practice, this often created an additional administrative burden, as apartment owners had to establish an association or authorise another legal entity even though the rights and obligations essentially belonged to the apartment owners’ association itself.

“By reducing administrative barriers, we will encourage the renovation of multi-apartment buildings, improve energy efficiency, and enhance the quality of the living environment, while also supporting the termination of compulsory shared ownership arrangements. This will enable apartment owners to make more effective use of state support opportunities for the development of their buildings,” emphasises Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis.

The purpose of the amendments is to improve the conditions of the support programmes implemented by ALTUM by aligning them with the amendments to the Apartment Property Law that entered into force on 5 January 2026.

The approved amendments provide for:

• expanding the range of eligible beneficiaries by allowing an apartment owners’ association to receive a loan in its own name;
• clarifying the concept of a representative by providing that an application may be submitted and an agreement concluded by either a natural person or a legal entity registered in Latvia acting as the statutory representative or authorised representative of the apartment owners’ association;
• retaining the existing possibility of receiving support through an authorised person, for example, where an association receives a loan in the interests of apartment owners, thereby ensuring flexibility in different situations and legal continuity for processes already under way;
• granting ALTUM the right to request and receive, free of charge, information from state information systems that is necessary for the implementation of the programme.

The amendments will make the support programme more accessible and easier to use for apartment owners’ associations, reducing administrative barriers and speeding up decision-making on the renovation of multi-apartment buildings.