The Interior Ministry is pushing for stronger enforcement of existing legislation and targeted legal amendments to address dangerous buildings across Cyprus, with plans to publish all hazardous structures on a public online platform to increase transparency and pressure owners into taking action.
The initiative aims, above all, to protect the public – particularly tenants – while equipping District Local Government Organisations (EOAs) with practical tools to resolve the problem more swiftly. Central to the effort is the creation of a digital platform where all dangerous buildings will be listed, allowing the public to stay informed and increasing accountability for property owners.
Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou discussed the issue with representatives of the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ETEK) as part of a series of meetings and consultations involving the ministry, EOAs and municipalities. Separate discussions between EOAs, local authorities and ETEK are also under way.
Following the meeting, the Interior Ministry sought to send a clear message: the legal tools already exist, but authorities must use them. Since April 2025, EOAs have held responsibility for dealing with dangerous buildings and are now at the centre of enforcement. However, the organisations appear to interpret both the current legal framework and the available tools differently, while also raising concerns about the financial cost of repairs.
According to Ioannou, the law is not “a dead letter”. It provides for full or partial demolition, bans on use, sealing of buildings and even the immediate evacuation of occupants. The key question, he said, is why these measures are not being applied with the required speed. While the ministry is pursuing legislative reinforcement through amendments already before parliament since 2025, it also acknowledges that more can be done immediately using existing powers.
In the interim, EOAs are expected to act under the Streets and Buildings Law, following a unified procedure issued last March. The state has allocated €2 million to cover urgent interventions where owners fail to respond and delays would pose a risk to life. Critics, however, argue that the amount falls far short of actual needs. By way of example, Limassol municipality alone spent €1.6 million upgrading just five dangerous apartment blocks, with no mechanism in place to recover the cost from responsible owners.
Everything in the open
The proposal to create an electronic platform forms part of this broader push. ETEK president Konstantinos Konstantis said the aim is to publish up-to-date data, classify buildings according to risk level and provide clear information to citizens. Until a formal registry is created, the Interior Minister has urged EOAs to begin publishing available data as an immediate public safety measure.
Ioannou stressed that responsibility for removing danger lies primarily with property owners, both legally and financially. At the same time, he reminded EOAs that the law allows them to intervene where necessary and subsequently recover costs. In cases of immediate danger, authorities may act without following the full standard procedure.
ETEK is expected to play a key supporting role. Konstantis said the chamber stands ready to assist EOAs with expert teams to help assess buildings and speed up decision-making, particularly where immediate evacuation is required. He underlined the need for concrete measures to ensure that “the tragic incident is not repeated”.
The scale of the problem remains significant. According to the Interior Minister, around 1,300 dangerous buildings have already been identified nationwide and must be reassessed and prioritised by risk level. For the most serious cases, EOAs are obliged to install warning signs and enforce measures such as banning use until repairs are completed.
A nationwide issue
The problem affects all major cities, though with varying degrees of progress and difficulty.
In Nicosia, 268 buildings have been officially declared dangerous, with four cases considered critical and requiring evacuation. These add to a backlog of 1,466 pending cases inherited from municipalities and the district administration. The estimated cost of interventions for the 268 buildings is €2.3 million, excluding operational expenses, while the €2 million state grant covers all EOAs for two years. Despite ongoing actions, no evacuations have yet taken place and many buildings remain occupied.
In Limassol, inspections carried out by the municipality identified around 130 dangerous buildings out of 415 examined by the end of 2024, including apartment blocks, privately owned structures and listed buildings. Over the past decade, the municipality spent about €1.6 million on interventions, while the total cost of addressing risks is estimated at €8 million.
In Larnaca, dangerous buildings are estimated at around 500, including those in Lefkara. In Paphos district, 226 structures are recorded as derelict, with 10 to 12 considered particularly dangerous. Following an emergency meeting, authorities issued instructions to accelerate procedures and secure evacuation orders where required.