Unsafe buildings: the project envisages cutting off electricity and water

Owners of unsafe buildings who ignore property security orders may face much harsher consequences in the future. A bill being discussed in parliament includes power and water cuts, a ban on use or renting, partial or complete demolition, and fines of up to €40,000.

The new regulations are intended to provide District Local Government Organizations (EOAs) with more effective tools to respond to situations where building conditions pose a threat to public safety. However, the basic principle remains unchanged: the owner, not taxpayers, is primarily responsible for restoring a property to a safe condition.

Utility cut-off, demolition and rental ban

The project expands the list of actions that authorities could take against owners who fail to comply with the orders.

The proposed measures include:

• cutting off electricity and water supplies,
• prohibition of entering the building or renting it,
• evacuation of residents,
• execution of security works by the authorities,
• partial or complete demolition,
• financial penalty to 40,000 euros.

If the EOA carries out urgent work on the owner's behalf, the costs are expected to be recovered later. Another mechanism being considered is to register the debt as a charge against the property if the owner fails to reimburse the incurred expenses.

Over a thousand potentially dangerous buildings in Larnaca

The scale of the problem is large.

Larnaca EOA identified 1087 potentially dangerous buildings. So far, 351 of them have been visually checked, and the cost of removing threats in this group alone has been estimated at approximately 7 million euros.

Nicosia is dealing with an even larger number of cases. The EOA there is currently conducting 1,495 proceedings, of which 711 buildings have already been formally declared unsafe, 130 are awaiting classification and 654 more are still being investigated.

In Limassol, attention was drawn to the problems with quickly clearing unsafe properties and financing the work. According to the EOA, approximately 150,000 euros.

The state provides 2 million euros, local governments want more

The Ministry of Interior has allocated for EOA 2 million euros for the transitional period related to dangerous buildings.

However, representatives of local organizations claim that a lump sum will not be enough. The Nicosia EOA is requesting funding of 2 million euros per year for ten yearsfor the system to actually work.

In parallel, the idea of regular technical inspections of buildings, comparable to the MOT for cars, is being discussed. ETEK advocates, among other things, for inspections to be conducted every five years, which would allow problems to be detected before a building is formally deemed unsafe.

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This is not yet a valid law

The project has the support of the Ministry of Interior, but legislative work is still ongoing.

The committee wants to further analyze the solutions from a legal and constitutional perspective. Only then can the bill be submitted to the plenary session of the House of Representatives. According to committee chairman Aristos Damianou, the goal is to complete this stage by November at the latest.

Source: House of Representatives Internal Affairs Committee, Ministry of Interior, EOA Nicosia, EOA Larnaca, EOA Limassol, Cyprus Mail, StockWatch, Philenews