Filenews 7 May 2022 - by Vassos Vassiliou
A proposal for a law that makes it mandatory to inspect the buildings, every decade when they were built after 1960 and every five years when they were erected before 1960, in order to ensure the safe stay of people in them, submitted the MP of DIPA Marinos Mousiouttas.
Mr. Mousiouttas had submitted a relevant amendment in the context of the reform of local government but it did not pass, so it comes back with a law proposal. As mentioned in this regard, the purpose of the draft law is to amend the Municipalities Law, so as to introduce in it provisions regarding the conduct of an inspection for the static adequacy and urban planning suitability of buildings by professionals registered with the Scientific Technical Chamber of Cyprus, for the purpose of obtaining a certificate of suitability of the buildings.
It is also mentioned that the owner of each building takes the necessary actions to carry out every ten years an inspection for the static adequacy and urban planning suitability of the building and complies with any suggestions of the engineers, in order to secure a certificate of suitability of the building, which is then submitted within a reasonable time to the relevant municipality.
The proposal also provides for the following:
(2) The inspection of the buildings is carried out within ten years from the date of the first electrification of the building and then every ten years from the issuance of the last issued certificate of suitability.
(3) The owner of an existing building must, within a period of one year from the date of entry into force of this Law, submit to the relevant municipality a certificate of suitability of the building, after an audit in accordance with the provisions of subsection (1), and then the building inspection erected before the year 1960 is carried out every five years, while a building erected after the year 1960 is carried out every ten years.
(4) A person who refuses or fails to comply with the provisions of subsections (2) to (4) is guilty of an offence and, in case of conviction, shall be liable to a prison sentence not exceeding twelve (12) months or to a fine not exceeding €1,700 or both.
