Gaps in enforcement and legal delays complicate action on unsafe structures.
The collapse of part of an apartment building in Germasogeia, which claimed two lives, exposed serious weaknesses in current legislation. At the same time, a bill proposed by former MP Marinos Mousiouttas on dangerous buildings, which included recommendations from the Ministry of Interior, never reached the full session of Parliament, making an already difficult situation worse.
The law and its gaps
Under current legislation, the five District Organizations must act as soon as they identify or receive a complaint about a dangerous structure. They issue a notice to property owners with a deadline for repairs and, when necessary, order fencing, evacuation, and sealing of the building. If owners object, the process moves into the legal system, which is where major weaknesses appear.
According to Konstantinos Konstantis, president of the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber, property owners can challenge the findings and request a court order. That process can take significant time and ultimately depends on the judge’s decision.
Konstantis also said that Parliament is discussing updates to the legal framework to make enforcement, evacuation, sealing, and building classification more efficient. He stressed that the most important issue is routine inspections so buildings do not deteriorate to the point of being labelled dangerous.
He described this as a type of “MOT” for buildings, meaning regular inspections based on when a structure was built and how it is used. He also suggested creating a mandatory maintenance reserve fund for shared residential buildings. This would allow repairs to be made early, such as fixing corroding steel, instead of waiting until serious damage occurs because funding is not available.
Konstantis warned that another fatal incident could happen soon. He said this reflects the reality of Cyprus’s aging building stock. He added that there have already been enough warnings and that action cannot be delayed until Parliament resumes work with new committees. Immediate measures are needed.
Confusion over the proposed law
Uncertainty has surrounded the proposal by Marinos Mousiouttas. The Ministry of Interior had submitted the proposal, including its recommendations, to the Parliamentary Interior Committee about a year ago. However, according to reports, the proposal was brought back to the committee in March 2026 without approval from the Legal Service, which had raised concerns about possible constitutional issues. In the end, the bill was never presented to the full Parliament.
Meeting between the Ministry and ETEK
A meeting was called at the Ministry of Interior on Wednesday morning by Minister Konstantinos Ioannou. According to reports, representatives from both the Ministry and ETEK are expected to take part. ETEK is likely to propose practical tools that authorities can use, along with incentives from the government to support repairs and structural upgrades, including tax relief.
