Demolition of walls, floors and finishes costs from €6/m², and demolition of old tiles from €9/m². Before the job you need to know what belongs to your apartment and what belongs to the whole building.
What you may demolish in an apartment and what belongs to the building
The Law on Residential Properties (Dzīvokļa īpašuma likums) counts as part of the apartment the non-load-bearing internal partitions, the finishes of ceilings, floors and walls, doors, utility lines up to the common-property risers, and the kitchen, toilet, shower and bathroom equipment. These parts can be removed if the work does not affect common property or other apartments.
The common property of the building includes load-bearing walls and columns, walls between apartments, floor slabs with their thermal and sound insulation, external walls, windows in external structures and the building's utility systems. If the work affects them, you need the consent of the apartment owners' association. A riser is common property, so removing it needs a decision of the apartment owners' association, and the building manager organises the work; more on the page riser replacement in an apartment.
Law on Residential Properties, Section 3(2), Section 4(1) paragraph 1, Section 11(1) and (3). Checked 11.11.2026.
Removing a partition wall: when you need documents
If you remove only finishes, such as wallpaper, tiles or a floor covering, the municipalities explain that no construction documents are needed. If you remove a non-load-bearing wall to merge rooms, according to the Riga municipality's explanation a certified architect prepares a plan and a construction notice is submitted in the Construction Information System (BIS) as simplified renovation. If the wall separates two apartments, you need the consent of both owners.
An opening in a load-bearing wall is a simplified reconstruction: you need a solution from a certified architect and a structural engineer, an explanatory memorandum and, if the building is divided into apartment properties, the consent of more than half of the apartment owners. Only the building's design or a structural engineer's opinion shows which walls are load-bearing. More on the page removing walls in an apartment.
Cabinet Regulation No. 529 (“Ēku būvnoteikumi”, Building Construction Regulations), sub-paragraph 7.1 and paragraph 8 of 7.²; reply of the Riga municipality on LV portāls, 04.12.2025. Checked 11.11.2026.
Older buildings: asbestos
In buildings built before the asbestos ban (EU from 01.01.2005), some materials can contain asbestos, for example pipe insulation or vinyl floor tiles and their adhesive. You cannot identify it reliably by appearance; it is determined in a laboratory. Asbestos is dangerous if it is sawn, drilled or otherwise damaged, and work with it is regulated by Cabinet Regulation No. 852. Asbestos may be removed only with a permit from the State Labour Inspectorate. More on the page asbestos in apartments.
Demolition in the usual order
- List Before the job you need to know what is removed and what stays: walls, floors, tiles, doors, plumbing, ceilings.
- Electricity and water Electricity and water are switched off in the zone being demolished. If a riser or heating has to be switched off, this is agreed with the building manager.
- Fittings and doors Plumbing, kitchen fittings, doors and skirting boards are removed.
- Finishes and tiles Tiles, plaster, wallpaper and ceiling finishes are removed down to a firm base.
- Floors The floor covering is removed and, if planned, the old screed, without damaging the floor slab.
- Partition walls Non-load-bearing partitions are removed only when the required documents are in order.
What to prepare before demolition
- Take out or pack up the furniture and belongings that stay in the apartment.
- Ask the building manager whether the building has set renovation hours. The apartment owners' association can set house rules.
- Warn your neighbours. Disturbing a person's peace is an administrative offence, but the Riga Municipal Police explain that everyday noise is usually not an offence.
- Think about the waste. For construction waste removal see buvgruzuizvesanariga.lv.
- In your request, write what to remove, how many m², and the building series or year.
Demolition work prices
Demolition of walls, floors and finishes: from €6/m². Demolition of old tiles: from €9/m². Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate. The price depends on the area to be demolished, the material (tiles, plaster, screed), the number of partitions and how much of the apartment is stripped.
| Example | Calculation | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Bathroom, 18 m² of tiles on walls and floor | 18 m² × €9 | from €162 |
| Floor covering, 50 m² in an apartment | 50 m² × €6 | from €300 |
| Both jobs together | €162 + €300 | from €462 |
Full demolition down to the structure is part of a full renovation. All prices are on the page renovation prices.
What is included in the price
What this work includes
- Removing walls, floors and finishes in part of the apartment
- Removing old tiles
- Work charged per m² of surface demolished
What is calculated separately
- A plan and a construction notice, if a partition is removed
- Riser and heating work, which is agreed with the building manager
Sources
- Part of the apartment and common property; work without approval; consent of the association; house rules checked 11 November 2026
- No documents needed for interior work; opening in a load-bearing wall: explanatory memorandum checked 11 November 2026
- Removing a non-load-bearing wall in Riga: plan and notice; consent of the owners of both apartments checked 11 November 2026
- Asbestos: ban from 01.01.2005, dangerous if damaged checked 11 November 2026
- Work with asbestos: Cabinet Regulation No. 852 checked 11 November 2026
- Asbestos is determined by laboratory testing; vinyl tiles can contain asbestos checked 11 November 2026
- Disturbing a person's peace, everyday noise checked 11 November 2026
- Disturbing a person's peace: Administrative Penalties Law, Section 11 checked 11 November 2026
- No construction documentation is needed for interior work (Liepāja City Municipality, LV portāls 11.03.2026) checked 11 November 2026