The Ombudsman's Institution has today addressed the Municipality of Tirana, with a letter through which it requests the guarantee of suitable housing for all residents affected by the fire in the "Arlis" complex.

The letter states that "the most urgent focus in addressing this issue has to do with the right to housing as one of the most important human rights, affirmed in a considerable number of international law instruments ratified by the Albanian state and as a right directly related to the right to life and health".

Specifically, the Ombudsman requests from this local government unit, the treatment of families left homeless, with a rental bonus.

“We believe that the families left homeless by the fire in the “Arlis” building complex should be treated immediately with one of the most appropriate social housing programs, as provided for in Article 11 of Law No. 22/2018.

More specifically, the benefit of a rental bonus for these families until they are provided with suitable housing through the renovation of their homes would be the appropriate and coherent solution for the developments related to this case,” the letter states, among other things.

Full letter:

Subject: Regarding the problems created for residents whose homes were damaged by the fire in the “Arlis” building complex, in the area near the “Mother Teresa” University Hospital Center, Tirana.

Addressed to: Municipality of Tirana Tirana

Dear Sirs,

The Ombudsman Institution, based on the announcements made public in the written and visual media on 14.04.2026, regarding the burning of a building in the "Arlis" complex, located in the area near the "Mother Teresa" University Hospital Center, Tirana, in accordance with Article 13 of Law No. 8454, dated 04.02.1999 "On the Ombudsman", as amended, has begun the examination of this issue on its own initiative.

The issue created in this case is related to the protection and respect of a number of legitimate rights of residents, as well as other subjects who use this building, including the right to life, the right to adequate housing, the right to health, and the right to security.

The incident has raised several issues for careful discussion and analysis, within the framework of the protection and respect of human rights and the necessary guarantees that the state must offer in this regard.

On the other hand, it should be emphasized that beyond this necessary approach, an element that should not be neglected or overlooked has to do with the consequences of the incident and the emergency already created to provide adequate housing for a significant number of families sheltered in the aforementioned building, whose homes were burned or severely damaged by the fire, making them uninhabitable.[1] These families are today, de facto and practically homeless families.

The emergency created by the lack of housing for these families in the “Arlis” building, makes it necessary to treat them in accordance with the provisions of Law no. 22/2018 "On social housing", as amended (Law No. 22/2018), as well as the by-laws issued on its basis and for its implementation, which represent a substantial qualitative leap in the way affordable housing is perceived, how groups in need are addressed, and how special housing programs are designed.

The most urgent focus in addressing this issue concerns the right to housing as one of the most important human rights, affirmed in a considerable number of international law instruments ratified by the Albanian state and as a right directly related to the right to life and health.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as one of the primary international instruments, in Article 25.1, provides that: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing and housing”.

Important conventions at the international level sanction the importance of respecting and guaranteeing the right to housing to the maximum extent possible. Among them, the European Convention on Human Rights, which is part of our domestic legal regime, the Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as the rich jurisprudence in this regard of the European Court of Human Rights, sanction the right to housing as a human right.

According to these international instruments, the state must guarantee legal protection for the right to housing and provide a basis for the progressive realization of all aspects of the right to adequate housing.

Therefore, the legal framework in force has clearly foreseen and guarantees the legal mechanisms and procedural means available to municipalities and local self-government bodies, to enable them to make decisions and take institutional action to assist homeless individuals and families.

In this context, we believe that the approach to these homeless families should guarantee the most effective protection of their rights and legitimate interests and should be such that no citizen is denied access to public services, despite special circumstances and such difficult human cases.

We believe that the families left homeless by the fire in the "Arlis" complex should be treated immediately with one of the most appropriate social housing programs, provided for in Article 11 of Law No. 22/2018.

More specifically, the benefit of a rental bonus for these families until they are provided with adequate housing through the renovation of their homes would be the appropriate and coherent solution for the developments related to this case.

The Ombudsman, in accordance with his constitutional mandate and the powers he enjoys in Law No. 8454, dated 04.02.1999 “On the Ombudsman”, as amended, assesses that your local self-government unit has the appropriate legal and organizational instruments to provide a solution to this issue as quickly as possible, while recommending at the same time proportional action and reflection that protects the legitimate rights and interests of these residents.

Thanking you for your understanding and cooperation,

C O M I S I O N E R

Erinda MELI