Cyprus faces building safety crisis as authorities delay property management reform

Thousands of Cypriot residents are living in apartment blocks plagued by serious maintenance issues and poor management, warns Savvas Georgiades, vice-chairman of the Developers' Association. The collapse of a residential building in Limassol, which claimed two lives, and the subsequent evacuation of other structures underscore that this is no longer merely an administrative problem—it is a matter of public safety.

The root cause lies in outdated legislation. Current regulations fail to enable effective collection of maintenance contributions, decision-making, and necessary repairs. Georgiades is calling for urgent adoption of the 2023 law on common property management, which would establish management committees as legal entities and introduce mandatory reserve funds for routine and emergency maintenance.

Proper building maintenance is not a luxury but a fundamental requirement for protecting lives, property values, and the long-term sustainability of the housing stock, the expert emphasises. What is needed are not promises but concrete mechanisms for monitoring and inspecting structural conditions.

Source: Cyprus Mail Property