Some 17% of all houses and apartments in Romania are empty, which represents nearly 1.5 million of the 8.5 million dwellings in the country. According to the development minister, this is one of the highest percentages in the world, reports local Digi24.

People who have multiple properties own most of the empty houses and apartments. The homes of those who died and had no heirs are also uninhabited, as well as those owned by Romanians who went to work abroad.

Romania's Government plans to intervene in the housing construction market, reports local Profit.ro. It will forbid mayor and county council presidents to issue building permits if they are not sure that the designed studios and apartments meet the minimum legal criteria in terms of size and facilities.

Today, a studio must have a minimum usable area of 37 sqm, a living room of 18 sqm, and a bathroom of 4 sqm. In the case of a two-room apartment, the usable area should be at least 52 sqm, with a living room of minimum 18 sqm and a bedroom of 12 sqm.

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Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com