The EOAs even acquire the power to demolish or even seal dangerous buildings or parts of them, when they deem that they have become dangerous.
Based on the provisions of the draft law which was prepared by the parliamentary committee on the Interior itself and with the philosophy of which the Ministry of the Interior agrees, the labyrinthine procedures for informing the owners are bypassed. It is noted that some of them were never located, which is why the process of informing them is different and with the new regulation it will be enough to send a letter to their last known address and post the notice in a visible part of the dangerous building. Along with the above regulations, the relevant EOA must post the building risk notice on the Organization's website for a period of 30 days.
The bad thing about dangerous buildings is that the Ministry of the Interior favours the imposition of a fee on development permits in order for the NGOs assigned to manage dangerous buildings to make a "deposit". However, both the EOAs and MPs disagree with the above choice, in the sense that a citizen who seeks to be housed, should not be burdened with the irresponsibility or inaction of the owners who do not support their dangerous buildings.
There is also disagreement "about the quilt", i.e. whether the cost of supporting the dangerous will be borne by the state or the EOAs.
The Ministry states that it has allocated €2 million. to support the (hundreds) of dangerous buildings, with the EOA Larnaca indicating that only for the support of 351 dangerous buildings (out of a total of 1,087 located within its boundaries) the cost was estimated at €7 million.
The president of the EOA Nicosia, Constantinos Yiorkadjis, suggested that the state grant €2 million annually for the next ten years, in the form of a loan, in order to give time for the collection of support costs from the owners. Most owners do not pay, but in the event of the sale or sale of their buildings, the EOAs will receive what they paid to support them.
The chairman of the parliamentary committee on the Interior, Aristos Damianou, called on both the Ministry of the Interior and the EOAs to find a common component in the various aspects concerning dangerous buildings in order to approve relevant legislation before tragedies occur with collapses of buildings, balconies, etc.
The general director of the Ministry of the Interior, Elikkos Ilias, after expressing support for the proposal under discussion, stated that it introduces:
>> The possibility of prohibiting the use or rental of dangerous buildings.
>> The ability to cut off the electricity and water supply.
>> The possibility of total or partial demolition where required.
>> The registration of a lien on the property for the recovery of the expenses of the competent Authority.
>> The possibility of faster recourse to the Court of Justice through ex parte procedures, as well as the strengthening of administrative and criminal sanctions.
Finally, he said that the competent Authority intervenes when there is inaction or non-compliance and when the protection of human life, public safety and the property of citizens is imperative.
What the EOAs are asking for in their memorandum
For their part, the EOAs, with a memorandum submitted before the Parliament, claim the right to intervene immediately and with the assistance of the Police in cases of dangerous constructions, especially when there is a risk of causing serious bodily harm or even death. In fact, they favour their intervention without the issuance of a court order, as is the case today.
They also request that the Services involved submit their views within 15 days. They also claim the right to fence, mark and prevent anyone from accessing a dangerous building immediately. Furthermore, the EOAs argue that the removal of the danger of a dangerous building must be accompanied by a certificate from an ETEK designer.
They also note that a mechanism should be established to recover the expenses incurred by (the EOAs) to support the buildings and that the debts of the affected owners should be paid as a priority when the affected property is transferred or sold.
At the same time, they are calling for the term "owner" to be expanded to include co-owners, management committees, heirs and inheritance managers.
On the issue of serving a notice that a building is dangerous, a proposal is submitted as it is posted on the door of the building or published in the official gazette of the Republic, instead of in two newspapers that is currently in force.
On this occasion, the NGOs ask that the responsibility for licensing be returned to the boards of the Organizations instead of to the technocrats as is the case today. At the same time, they agree to take over the handling of the cases of dangerous buildings.
The EOA of Famagusta disagrees with the transfer of the responsibility of dangerous buildings to the councils of the Organizations, considering that it is a purely technocratic issue.
What is the aim of amending the legislation?
The general director of the Ministry of the Interior stated that what is sought by amending the legislation is to strengthen, modernize and make more effective the existing tools, so that the competent authorities can intervene faster and more decisively when it comes to public safety.
He observed that the competent Authority (EOA) intervenes when there is inaction or non-compliance and when the protection of human life, public safety and the property of citizens is imperative.
As he said, at the same time, the new measures are expected to significantly reduce the cases in which the competent authorities will be forced to carry out risk removal work themselves. The goal, he said, is to first exhaust the compliance and enforcement tools provided for by law and the ex officio intervention of the competent Authority to be limited to cases where it is absolutely necessary for reasons of public interest.
Regarding "who pays the bride", Mr. Elias said: "Especially on the issue of the fee and financing of the hazardous construction sector, our position is that this is part of the licensing sector and, therefore, in the context of building licensing, a provision should be made on the part of the Organizations, in order to ensure that the operation of the sector is covered within the framework of the budgets of the Organizations, but also the possibility of taking measures where and where it will be required, but without relieving the owner of responsibility."
