From 12 June to 15 September, those interested in the ExoEconomy 2023 programme will be able to submit their applications.

You need to be careful though, because now for any work in your home, whether it is included in ExoEconomo 2023 or not, you will have to talk to an engineer to get a certificate. Otherwise, you could face a fine.

It is recalled that from 2021 for any renovation work and generally small interventions in buildings, the engineer must first issue a relevant electronic certificate from the computer system e-adeies .

With the electronic certificate, the engineer confirms that in the area of the property, for certain small works, no approval is required from a body. If required, the building permit file is updated in order to proceed with the approvals.

The engineer's certificate is necessary, because it enables the State to know when, how and whether repairs, maintenance or other minor work can be carried out on buildings so that not to create new arbitrary arrangements which burden the residential area, especially in areas protected by special urban planning decrees.

The 12 SOS for Economy 2023 that owners should be aware of when carrying out work on a property

1. No repair work can be carried out if there are arbitrary features in the building.

2. All work carried out should not affect the frame of the building and should not create problems with its stability.

3. For insulation work, changing openings, roof repair, facade repair and other work carried out in common or common areas, the consent of the co-owners is required.

4. When using scaffolding for painting or repairing coatings or repairing facades, a Small Scale Permit and engineering supervision is required.

5. When we replace external frames and glazing in different openings and in the case of an apartment or shop etc. in a block of flats, the consent of the owners of the block of flats is required.

6. For excavations or backfilling greater than plus/minus 0.80 meters from the natural ground, of plots and land plots, a building permit is required.

7. For the installation of thermal insulation, installation of passive solar systems or replacement of external frames or installation or replacement of chimneys on the external facades of existing buildings, with the use of scaffolding, under the program, Economize - Autonomo, as well as for installation of passive solar systems, the consent of all owners is required.

8. For the construction of pergolas with a surface area of more than fifty (50) sq.m., in open spaces, porches and ground floor verandas, as well as in roofs and balconies, regardless of the area, the following is required. Small Scale Permit .

9. A permit is required for the construction of retaining walls, as well as walls and fences.

10. When the renovation works are extensive and the budget of the works is more than twenty-five thousand (25,000) euros then the issuance of a Building Permit .

11. We do not dispose of the rubble generated by the renovation, but we are required to contract with an Excavation and Demolition Waste Manager with an approved alternative system.

12. For all construction work, whether or not it is work for which a permit or small-scale permit is required, an inventory of the construction work must be made in the EFKA with the submission of a relevant table, with an inventory of all the work to be done for the payment of the relevant contributions.

What are the works for which a building permit or approval of small-scale works is not required and an engineering certificate must be issued? for the Save 2023

1. interior painting work, minor repairs to doors and windows or individual repairs for reasons of use and hygiene, repair or replacement of floors,

2. minor interior repairs or alterations that do not alter the load-bearing structure of the building, as well as structures required for the movement or any form of service of persons with disabilities or handicapped persons. The construction of the lift is not included.

3. exterior painting or replacement of railings or repair of coatings or repair of facades without the use of scaffolding,

4. maintenance, repair, reconstruction or partial replacement of building installations and pipelines,

5. replacement of internal or external windows and glazing in the same opening,

6. maintenance and repair of roofs or roofs without the use of scaffolding,

7. minor ground disturbances up to plus/minus 0,80 m. from the natural ground,

8. installation of air conditioners and wall mounted gas boilers for heating and hot water production in existing buildings, installation of wall mounted gas boiler arrays for heating or hot water production in ground floor open spaces in residential buildings, installation of gas supply, regulation and metering systems, such as regulators, meters and distribution pipes, installation of high efficiency combined heat and power (CHP) systems.CHP, above-ground distribution or metering and regulation of natural gas.

9. installation of solar panels.

10. work on the installation of passive solar systems or the replacement of external windows or the installation or replacement of chimneys on the external facades of existing buildings, without the use of scaffolding, under the programme, Residential savings, as well as work to install passive solar systems or replace exterior windows or install or replace chimneys on the exterior of existing buildings without the use of scaffolding,

11. placement or installation of equipment in buildings, such as closets and planters, changing, installing or removing partitions of exoskeletons, as well as the placement of small permanent decorative and utilitarian elements, such as statues, fountains, iconostasis, benches and tables, or temporary animal shelters of up to three (3) square meters in unimproved areas of plots and fields,

12. construction of hearths, ovens and fireplaces with their chimneys in open spaces of plots or land, provided that there is a building with residential use, as well as in a building that has a building permit or exists legally, provided that the load-bearing elements of the building with residential use are not affected, and provided that they are independent, individual dwellings with independent load-bearing structures,

13. construction of pergolas with or without temporary shades of up to fifty (50) sq.m. in open spaces, porches and ground floor terraces, if not prohibited by special provisions in force in the area,

14. structures such as stairs, ramps, stanchions and landings in unprotected areas of plots and fields,

15. installation of temporary shades, blinds, shelters and awnings,

16. floor screed of uncovered space, provided that it does not exceed 1/3 of the uncovered space,

17. soil shaping up to 0,80 m. from the natural ground in order to improve its natural topography, using natural unbound materials such as soil and masonry without mortar, without altering its general natural geomorphology, the natural slope of the rainwater run-off and the starting points for measuring the altitude,

18. structures within a plot - land for the creation of entrance areas to the plots and land, up to two and a half (2.50) m high, up to two and a half (2.50) m wide and up to one (1.00) m deep,

19. constructions for the installation of electricity meters at the boundaries of land plots or within uncovered areas thereof, in accordance with the applicable specifications,

20. photovoltaic systems on buildings and for system power up to 100kW,

21. construction of underground bases made of reinforced concrete for the anchoring of electromechanical equipment of any kind, the installation of the corresponding electromechanical equipment, outdoor substations of the Transmission System and the Electricity Distribution Network.

22. construction for the installation of infrastructure and placement of electric vehicle charging devices, without requiring the installation of a new MT/XT transformer (M/C) in the internal electrical installation.

23. zoning for the operation of immigration detention centres, closed controlled island facilities, reception and identification centres and accommodation facilities.

24. works required for the installation and operation of Waste Transfer Stations (WTS).

POMIDA: Abolish the "gratsi"

In a statement to NEA, POMIDA president Stratos Paradias stresses that: "Another unnecessary charge against citizens, which must be immediately abolished, is the mandatory issuance of a "certificate" by an engineer for these simple tasks. Reading this incredible list, I really wonder how they missed changing bulbs, hanging frames and mosquito nets.

If the point is only to declare to the state the minor works carried out in buildings under the program, ExoEconomy 2023, this can be done today by citizens themselves, so that the certificate does not cost them even more than the works themselves.