Filenews 9 June 2022 - by Michalis Hadjivasilis
No more mess with the management of apartment buildings, tenants who do not pay communal fees and buildings that are not maintained, sets a bill prepared by the Department of Lands and the Commissioner for Legislation.
The proposed bill posted on the website of the Cadastre for public consultation, sets out a regulatory framework for communal buildings in the Republic regarding their management, supervision and proper functioning. As stated in the "F" the Commissioner of Legislation Louisa Christodoulidou Zannetou, each municipality should create a Service for the Registration of Common Buildings and supervision of the Operation of the Management Committees, which will check the Committees to see if they take care of the safety of apartment buildings. Also, as he mentioned, the Management Committees will have the possibility to appeal with lawsuits to the Courts against those tenants who do not pay their utilities, while they will have the right to limit them from using some communal services, such as elevators, etc. so that the new landlord is not burdened with any communal expenses left by the previous landlord or tenant. In case of non-payment of rents, the landlord will be entitled to file a lawsuit against the tenant, who will not be able to register a defence. Today, Mrs. Zannetou stressed, extreme phenomena are observed in apartment buildings, where although the maintenance of an apartment building is required, not all residents consent, resulting in one floor being painted and the rest not.
The aim of the bill, it is pointed out, is to provide flexibility to the management committees in being able to perform their duties, given that property owners are evading their obligations and many properties are not adequately maintained, with various security risks lurking.
In particular, the bill introduces an extension of scope, beyond the registered communal buildings, to all communal buildings that have secured a building permit, division and certificate of approval, but have not been registered in the land registry and have not issued separate titles of the units. It introduces the creation of a Building Commons Registration Service and the Supervision of the Operation of the Management Committees under the municipalities, which will maintain a register of common buildings and management committees. It also provides for the compulsory insurance of common buildings, while the power is given to the Management Committee to make expenses, reasonably necessary for the maintenance and proper functioning of the common areas of the common building, which will be divided according to the area of each unit.
It is also planned to conduct a study of suitability, static, mechanical and electrical control of each communal building by professionals registered in the Scientific Technical Chamber of Cyprus and for the purpose of ensuring the suitability of the buildings when and if this is deemed necessary by the Management Committee.
