Warnings that appear to have been ignored for years preceded the tragedy in Germasogeia, where the eastern section of an apartment block collapsed at midday on Holy Saturday “like a house of cards”, raising fresh questions over how dangerous buildings are managed.
The building, which was more than 40 years old, had already been classified as dangerous by the Limassol District Local Government Organisation. The case has once again thrown a spotlight on shortcomings in the handling of unsafe structures.
According to the report, the owners had received letters several years ago from the former Germasogeia municipality warning that the building had structural problems and needed renovation, which, it said, did not happen. After responsibility for dangerous buildings was transferred to the district local government organisations, the Limassol body carried out an on-site inspection following information from Amathounta municipality and classified the building as dangerous.
It then sent letters to both the management committee and the seven owners, based on information obtained from the land registry.
In a letter dated March 26, 2026, the organisation warned that the building posed a danger to owners, tenants and passers-by, stressing that action was necessary. Specifically, it called on the owners to carry out repairs, remove dangerous elements and take protective measures so the danger could be lifted.
In comments to philenews, Limassol District Local Government Organisation president Yiannis Tsouloftas said dangerous buildings had been a concern for the organisation for more than a year, including before the transfer of the relevant powers.
“As he noted, it makes no sense to transfer this responsibility from one organisation to another without providing the necessary legal tools for immediate action.” He said modern and effective tools were needed so district local government organisations could carry out their role without simply inheriting long-standing weaknesses in the public administration.
He also stressed the need for powers allowing the rapid evacuation of dangerous buildings, including the mandatory removal of tenants, sealing off properties or even demolition, as well as funding mechanisms such as placing a charge on properties to cover repair costs.
As he explained, district local government organisations currently do not have the necessary financial resources, nor can they divert funds from other activities such as water supply, sewerage and licensing to meet such needs.
“The appropriate financial tools and resources are required so that building danger can be dealt with effectively,” he said, adding that procedures must be immediate and penalties strict enough to act as a deterrent.
In closing, he raised the wider issue facing Limassol, which has a large number of ageing apartment blocks built after 1974 to meet housing needs.
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