Annual 90 Thousand Drams for 400 Sqm of Rental Space: Who is Responsible?

The Yerevan City Hall has begun the dismantling of cafes adjacent to the Opera House. The goal is to restore the architectural appearance of the community-owned area and its former green zone. The program includes not only landscaping but also the architectural design of the surrounding area. A public competition will be held to determine the architectural face of this space. It is planned to refresh the artistic lighting of the Opera House and address the issue of antennas on the building's roof, noted the press secretary of the Yerevan mayor, Hakob Karapetyan.

However, the entrepreneurs disagree with the City Hall's decision. Employees of the cafes expressed their protest by obstructing the works.

The fact that the areas belong to the community and that at any moment the community can reclaim them after notifying in advance is stipulated in the rental agreements, of which the entrepreneurs were aware. Moreover, the city hall sent notifications on December 13, 2018, to three operators conducting activities under rental rights in the area adjacent to the Opera, stating that according to the contract, the rental agreement would be terminated within a 30-day period. Following the expiration of this period, the State Committee of Cadastre canceled the rental right based on the City Hall's request. Subsequently, on February 13, the City Hall sent notifications to the former tenants, proposing that they clear the area of their belongings, including unauthorized structures, within a reasonable timeframe.

However, the renters did not rush to clear the area and instead prepared to operate outdoor cafes by placing the corresponding furniture and necessary items, for which they did not have permission, as stated on the City Hall’s website.

By the way, one of the most shocking pieces of information regarding the dismantling of these cafes is that a 400 square meter area was rented out for only 90,000 drams a year. This is both ridiculous and serious at the same time. Therefore, at least we are curious about who the person is that allowed such a large area to be rented for such a small amount, the individual whose signature was put on that contract. We believe this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed legally. It should be noted that according to our information, this is not the only case of its kind. It is interesting whether the City Hall intends to investigate the rental agreements of other cafes and structures in different sectors. Perhaps there are more such laughable rental contracts under which vast city-owned areas have simply been handed over to certain privileged individuals to flourish their businesses and receive exorbitant profits.