Filenews 18 July 2022
The legislation should be amended so that it obliges immediately, in a substantial time and in an effective way, each owner to maintain his building, the Nicosia Municipality said in a statement, in relation to the issue of procedures and responsibilities for the maintenance and control of dangerous buildings in cities.
Having noted the weaknesses that exist in the existing system, Nicosia Municipality has repeatedly proceeded to submit suggestions and send a series of letters to the Ministry of Interior and all parliamentary parties, stressing the need to take immediate measures and initiatives to address the situation.
It is reported that in Nicosia, a significant number of buildings are found that need attention.
"We should make it clear from the outset that it is the sole responsibility of each owner to maintain his building and not to let it reach a state of danger. When he is notified that his building is dangerous, he has a specific deadline to act so that the danger is removed," he added.
Today, the announcement continues, if an owner refuses to carry out maintenance to remove the risk, the legislation gives the local Authority the option to intervene to carry out risk removal work and charge the owner.
As a result, it is noted, the Municipality and, by extension, the taxpayer, are charged with the cost of maintaining a private property.
"In practice, this means that, while the benefits arising from owning a property remain private, the cost is converted into a collective one, depriving the local Authority of resources that could be exploited for the benefit of the city and all citizens," it added.
The Town and Country Planning Law, it is reported, offers an extremely powerful tool - the imposition of an administrative fine. It is a practice, it is mentioned, that has been implemented by the Municipality in the past and is still being applied today.
"But for it to work efficiently, it requires the rapid examination of possible objections or appeals by the interior ministry. Unfortunately, to date, as we have pointed out in the past, the process of imposing administrative fines is extremely time-consuming, to the extent that it becomes inefficient and inoperable," it added.
Our long-standing position, says the Nicosia Municipality, is that the short and decisive enforcement of the legislation will bring substantial results and will change the image of our cities towards the positive, in terms of illegal real estate rentals, illegal urban uses and dangerous buildings.
In order to be able to act effectively, it is noted, the Municipality has recommended that the examination of appeals by the Ministry of Interior be expedited by setting a maximum response time of three months. Also, it is stated, the Ministry of Interior in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, are called upon to take all appropriate actions to facilitate the local authorities in the implementation of the Law and the restoration of the legality that is and remains our common goal.
As mentioned, the Municipality of Nicosia during the recent process of modernizing the legal framework of Local Government, in its letters to all parliamentary parties, the competent ministries and the Union of Municipalities, had proposed amendments to the legislation.
And this, with a regular inspection of buildings by members of ETEK for the issuance of a certificate of suitability, granting to the Local Government the responsibility for issuing extrajudicial documents, for incomplete maintenance, for danger and for problematic / unhealthy living conditions, removal of the rent in the listed buildings.
Also, the lease documents must be accompanied by a Certificate of Suitability of the premises for rent and the establishment of regulations for the Operation of Management Committees of jointly owned buildings with effective terms of their management and maintenance.
Unfortunately, it is noted that during the process of voting on the amendments to the bill on Local Government, despite the fact that our proposal for regular inspection of buildings and the issuance of a certificate of suitability was put to a vote on the initiative of the D.I.P., was voted down by all the other parties.
"We consider it extremely important to adopt as soon as possible the above changes to the existing legal framework, so as to immediately increase the functionality and efficiency of local authorities, always guided by the safety of citizens / citizens, better serving their needs and improving the quality of life of all", it is added.
CNA
