Need for structural assessment report leading to demolition

Published: 09 April 2025

Property owners say need for structural assessment report to renew
permits leading to demolition of comparatively new buildings

NT Bureau
Doha

The Ministry of Mu­nicipality’s decision requiring owners of older buildings, and even some newer buildings con­structed over 20 years ago, to submit a structural assessment as a condition for obtaining or renewing building permits has sparked widespread controver­sy among citizens and property owners, Al Sharq reports.

This is particularly true given the decisions that have led to the demolition of some buildings as new as 14 years old, on the grounds that they are unfit for habitation, the report adds.

While these measures are de­signed to preserve the safety of buildings, citizens and property owners believe they are causing significant financial losses.

They question the reason behind the deteriorating qual­ity of these buildings, and who should bear responsibility for the same, and whether the con­tractor who executed the project is responsible, given that he se­lected the building materials in accordance with Qatari specifi­cations and standards.

In a survey conducted by Al Sharq, property owners and citizens confirmed that the Min­istry’s decisions are sound, es­pecially since they are aimed at ensuring the safety of residents.

Many wondered whether more supervision and account­ability will be imposed to pre­vent this problem from recur­ring, or will property owners remain the sole victims.

Engineer Khaled Al-Nasr said: “The reasons for demol­ishing new buildings include violations of building regu­lations in some cases, where new buildings are constructed without obtaining the necessary permits or using methods that do not conform to specifications, which necessitates their demoli­tion to rectify the situation.

There are also design er­rors, which may reveal design or construction defects in new buildings after they are built, making their demolition and reconstruction the best option.

There are also changes in development plans, as real es­tate development plans can be changed after construction begins, which necessitates the demolition of new buildings to make way for other projects that align with the new plans.”

Engineer Abdel Hamid Gad from a consulting office said: “The Ministry of Municipality has recently taken some preven­tative measures to ensure the safety of buildings, especially old ones, by requesting a struc­tural assessment of buildings through an accredited consult­ing office and laboratory.

This request is made when any of these buildings submits an application for obtaining li­censes or other things from the municipality.”

He added these decisions caused great hardship for citi­zens who own properties, as some of them own buildings less than 14 years old, but they were ordered to be demolished by a decision from the municipality.