Cyprus expects updated rules on dangerous buildings — Cyprus Mail
In Cyprus, the Technical Chamber Etek expects legislation on dangerous buildings to be updated by the end of the year. This was stated by the chamber’s general secretary, Andreas Theodotou, after a balcony collapsed at a residential building in Limassol, Cyprus Mail reports.
The balcony fell from the fifth floor of a building in the Rousos Olympic Palace complex, at the corner of Georgios Katsounotos and Christodoulos Hadjipavlou streets, onto the apartment one floor below. On Thursday, Civil Defence evacuated residents from all 56 apartments in the building. Theodotou called the situation alarming, as the structure had already been declared dangerous and legal procedures concerning it were ongoing.
The building was added to the dangerous buildings list
Limassol EOA head Yannis Tsouloftas said that another balcony in the same building collapsed in 2022. According to him, the property had already been added to the dangerous buildings list, and a law firm had been tasked with continuing procedures concerning evacuation orders.
Tenants were placed in alternative accommodation, while owners of the affected apartments are arranging an assessment of the building’s condition and repairs with the involvement of a structural engineer. Around 1,100 buildings in Limassol have been added to the dangerous buildings list.
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Powers and funding
According to Theodotou, at the beginning of September the parliamentary interior committee began discussing amendments to the legislation on roads and buildings. Their aim is to give EOA more powers to respond quickly, including to immediately seal a building and carry out certain works. Under current legislation, these organisations cannot act without the owner’s consent.
Theodotou also noted the need to regulate funding so that organisations can advance the costs of evacuation or repairs and, if necessary, later recover the money from owners. He positively assessed Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou’s willingness to allocate a budget for this purpose.
The general secretary of Etek called mandatory building inspections the only effective preventive measure. Separately, parliament is discussing legislation for jointly owned buildings, intended to solve the problem of many apartment buildings lacking management committees and reserve funds for maintenance. The amendments are planned to be considered next month, and the law is intended to be adopted by the end of the year.
