« This is really ridiculous »

Residents in over 40 apartments in Mörkin 8 have received letters from the housing and the Civil Engineering Agency (HMS), which reported that no housing benefits will be paid because the premises were originally built as a guesthouse and is registered as such.

Residents have lived in the premises for about 18 years in studio and two-bedroom apartments. Haraldur E. Ingimarsson, a 78 -year -old resident in the border, says most of the residents of senior citizens and that « not high saddles to fall » in terms of the income of the group living in the premises.

« These mailings started about the Christmas holidays where we were requested that we apply for legal domicile at this location, but then it was stated elsewhere in the letter that the premises were illegal, » says Harald.

Have registered legal domicile for longer periods

The boundaries of 8 were built about 35 years ago and was originally intended as a guesthouse and no sheets are about to scroll that the building is registered as such in the real estate register. Haraldur himself has lived in the premises since 2008 and has been legally domiciled and received housing benefits ever since.

« This is really ridiculous because we do not know better than that this is legally registered residential property and it has been paid by this as such. So everyone there has been legally domiciled in this place until all of a sudden now, ”says Harald.

Not the computer saying no

Regina Valdimarsdóttir, Director of the Fire Protection Division of the Housing and Civil Engineering Agency, says that HMS has had better access to housing data when the state took over civil engineering in 2017.

« One of the conditions for housing benefits is that you need to reside in residential real estate, » says Regína.

She says that the boundaries have previously been landed without residential area, but now there is a mixed settlement. Therefore, some apartments in the boundary are registered as apartments but some spaces as a guesthouse space.

Asked if this is an example of the computer saying NO (computering says no), she says the matter is not that simple.

« This needs to be looked at in the context of whether the housing is decent, intended for home and other. There are various angles that need to be viewed. But in this context, it can be pointed out that it is in the new government's policy to revise support and possibly it will be done, ”says Regína.

The owner can apply for a new registration

She says the owner of the premises can go into the process of changing the registration of the premises. Wood Helgi Guðjohnsen is its owner. It has to be done with the municipality which is Reykjavik in this case.

« But it has to be in line with the planning terms so that the registration can be changed, » says Regína.

The house is registered as a guest house.

mbl.is/hákon Pálsson