A city committee has endorsed recommendations from Winnipeg's planning department to put more pressure on heritage building owners to maintain their properties.

The property and development, heritage and downtown development committee supported amendments to Winnipeg's vacant buildings and neighbourhood livability bylaws on Tuesday, a move that could close a long-standing gap in legislation, said Coun. Jenny Gerbasi, committee member and chair of the historic buildings and resources committee.

The proposed amendments would give city bylaw enforcement the ability to fine property owners if they refuse to take action on issues like water leakage, rodent infestations, or other factors that lead to building deterioration over time.

"We have to have the ability to require them to keep the building intact," Gerbasi said.

Building owners who fail to comply with the vacant building bylaw face fines of $500 for a first offence, $1,000 for a second offence and for each subsequent offence, a minimum fine of $2,000.

The proposed amendments would address the issue of "demolition by neglect" a rare but persistent issue where the owners of heritage buildings let the properties fall into such a severe state of disrepair they must be demolished for safety reasons, Gerbasi said.

"It's an issue that's been talked about for a long time," she said.

The owners of designated historic buildings are not allowed to demolish the properties unless they are quite literally falling apart, and a small number of owners are taking advantage of this loop hole, Gerbasi said.

Of the 370 heritage buildings in Winnipeg, 27 are at risk of demolition due to neglect, according to a city report. More than half of the at-risk heritage buildings are within downtown Winnipeg, 14 are vacant. Six of the unoccupied buildings are within the Exchange District, a national historic site.

"Unfortunately some people choose — and it's rare, the majority of people who own heritage buildings take care of them — but there's a small number who just kind of quietly let their building be destroyed," said Gerbasi.

"It's an asset that we're losing if we don't care for it."

Stefano Grande, executive director of Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, calls the proposed changes to Winnipeg bylaws "critical" and "necessary" to maintain buildings until the real estate prices improve or a private-public partnership presents itself to purchase the building.

"These buildings represent a significant cultural and physical resource if maintained properly, for our future generations," said Grande in a written statement.

John Orlikow, chair of the property and development, heritage and downtown development committee, said the committee's recommendations will now go to Mayor Brian Bowman's Executive Policy Committee (EPC) for consideration and then onto council for a vote.