Property Centre

Property Centre

Telephone

+47 32 11 81 00

Street address
Storgata 33A, Oslo

Postal address
N-3507 Hønefoss, Norway

Helge Onsrud
Brede Gundersen
Elena Busch
Anne Samuelsen
Veliko Penkov
Anca Andreescu

Internet system for protection of refugees’ properties

[ Av: Anne Samuelsen. Publisert: 15.11.07, oppdatert: 25.09.09 ]

Kosovo Property Agency (KPA) is the agency responsible for resolving claims for private immovable properties (including commercial properties and agricultural land) arising from the armed conflict in 1998-1999. KPA has so far recorded 29,160 claims concerning houses and apartments.

The deadline for filing claims for land is 3rd December 2007. Approximately 29.750 claims for land have presently been filed (22nd October 2007), making the total number of claims to approximately 60,000.

A major part of the claimants are living outside Kosovo, and by use of internet and electronic maps, KPA wants to make access to the claim information easier. Norway has decided to fund the development of a Website with this purpose. A demonstration-website has already been developed, and a user can search and view his/her claim using photomap as information background. KPA has as well demonstrated the demo-website for stakeholders in Washington, Norway and Colombia.

The web-application will also be used internally at KPA in their daily operation. KPA has several regional offices and offices abroad. Of security reasons, KPA’s 60 vehicles will be equipped with GPS receivers, their position transmitted to KPA’s HQ in Pristina by use of mobile telephone, making it possible for the control centre at KPA-HQ to monitor their vehicles in operation in the field at any time.

The specifications of the website will be prepared by the end of November and the development of the website will be internationally tendered approximately on 1 December 2007. It is assumed that the web-site will “go live” in May 2008.