No construction permit can be issued for a residential house if it sits on a plot of land less than 300 square metres in size, an official from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning told The New Times on Thursday, December 28, while shedding light on new standard rates of fees levied on building permits under a new presidential order.
As noted, the only acceptable standard size of a residential plot of land for which a construction permit can be given is 300 square metres, and above.
Emmanuel Kubwimana, the Fiscal Decentralisation Division Manager in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, said: "The fees for building permits are levied on the size of the residential house to be constructed but not on the standard size of a plot in which the house is located."
"A landowner should have a plot with at least 300 square metres but the residential house to be constructed in this plot of land can sit on a floor area with less than 100 square metres. Construction permit fees are levied on the size of the house [100 square metres] to be constructed but not the size of the whole plot of land [300 square metres]."
Kubwimana's explanation comes after misinterpretation by some in the public who assumed that a landowner with a plot on a 100 square metre piece of land can get a construction permit for a residential house. The confusion started after the publication of a new presidential order - on December 4 - determining fees levied on services and certificates delivered by decentralised entities.
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The latter shows that the standard rates of fees levied on building permits include Rwf20, 000 for a floor area not exceeding 100 square metres, Rwf100, 000 for a floor area ranging from above 100 square metres to 200 square metres, Rwf150, 000 for a floor area ranging from above 200 square metres to 500 square metres and Rwf200, 000 for a floor area of more than 500 square metres.
These standard rates also apply to renewal of a building permit or for authorisation to change reasons based on the request for the building permit, according to the presidential order.
The new standards rates show an increase of fees on floor areas above 100 square meters.
In the 2012 presidential order, Rwf20, 000 used to be charged for the floor area ranging from zero square metres to 100 square metres, Rwf40,000 for the floor area ranging from 100 to 500 square metres, and Rwf60,000 for the floor area above 500 square metres.
