The owners of Macao’s most dilapidated buildings were issued with a collective 106 urgent notices between January and mid-October – requiring them to inspect their properties and repair them if necessary, Jornal Tribuna de Macau reports.
The number of notices, which are issued by the Land and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU), has already exceeded 2022’s total of 75 by more than 40 percent.
In May this year, head of the DSSCU, Lai Weng Leong, confirmed there were at least three buildings in Macao in danger of collapsing, 19 in a highly dilapidated state and almost 90 in a poor condition.
[See more: A scheme to help preserve privately owned heritage buildings has been unveiled]
In very concerning cases, the DSSCU can require owners to present a report on their building’s condition prepared by an accredited professional. If they don’t, individuals can be fined up to 200,000 patacas and corporate owners up to 500,000 patacas.
If a building poses serious danger to public health or human safety, the DSSCU may insist the owner either partially or fully demolish it.
The government recently unveiled a scheme that would help owners of heritage buildings cover repair and maintenance costs. More than 600 buildings have already been classified as eligible for the funds.
