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Rolandas Klimavičius, a lawyer for the non-governmental organization Lietuvos Būsto rūmai, which unites multi-apartment homeowners associations and their associations, companies that manage multi-apartment houses and consumer rights organizations, states in a press release that This amendment seeks a solution to a problem that does not exist.
“As an organization, we receive around a thousand calls a year. Residents ask multiple questions, log problems, but there hasn’t been a single call yet to have a problem with a neighbor smoking on the balcony. Maybe there is no such problem at all, and only the politicians see it, “says R. Klimavičius.
Last fall, the proposed amendment to the Code of Administrative Offenses was registered by members of the Committee on Social Affairs and Labor. In the event of a code violation, the owner of the apartment or premises would be fined for an administrative violation.
Legislation and bans won’t help
The new amendment will mean that if neighbors disagree that smoking is allowed on the balcony of their home, they will have the right to take photos or videos of non-compliant neighbors and send the material to the municipality or the police.
But won’t such solutions do more harm than good? “We can regulate a lot, but if people are not understood, then no legislation will help. We will not build police officers under the windows, we will not install cameras for every balcony. And if the neighbors start filming, we will only anger the neighbors. Basically, nothing needs to be changed, “says R. Klimavičius.
The lawyer believes that if there is a problem in a house, it should be a friendly and internal agreement between the community. People’s habit of smoking on stairs has already disappeared, but the ban on smoking on balconies may encourage them to do so at home, which could also increase the likelihood of fires.
“People will start smoking at home near the steam trap, in the bathrooms, which the neighbors will feel even more than smoking on the balconies. We certainly have no troublesome questions about cigarette smoke, and I’m not talking about alternatives like those. electronic cigarettes or hot tobacco. We all know that smoking is wrong, but there is no problem of mass disputes between neighbors, “says R. Klimavičius.
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