Neglect of elevator leads to elderly tenant’s death

Elderly tenants in an apartment building have been left without an elevator for three months by the landlady, leading to the death of one elderly man with heart problems who, for a month, attempted to use the stairs, it emerged on Thursday.

The building, located almost in the centre of Limassol, is owned by a woman who is also the only member of the management committee, as stipulated by law for buildings with more than five tenants.

According to daily Politis, the elderly tenants, all low-earning pensioners, have been living in the building for years, paying low rent as statutory tenants. For example, the monthly rent for a three-room apartment in the building is €500. The building owner is seeking their eviction.

However, as the process is still under way to get the eviction notices, the woman is required to maintain the building, since the tenants are paying rent and common expenses.

In November, the elevator broke down, and since then, the landlady has refused to fix it, causing problems for the four elderly residents.

After complaints, the woman apparently told the elderly that she ordered a new elevator which will take six months to arrive from abroad.

In the complaint filed on December 28, 2023 by the elderly through their lawyer Stalo Christodoulidou to the head of the Limassol District Labour Inspection Office, Stefanos Achillides, it is stated that the building owner “refuses to repair the lift, even temporarily, until the new one arrives to force the tenants to leave their apartments”.

The lawyer indicated in the complaint letter that when the elevator maintenance man was asked, he told them that the elevator could be repaired temporarily.

The woman’s refusal to fix the elevator also resulted in the death of one of the elderly tenants who had heart problems. He was forced to climb the stairs for a month and finally died from a heart attack on Christmas eve.

In their letter of complaint to Achillides, the elderly ask for the lift to be inspected to determine whether:

A regular inspection was carried out as required by law.

The maintenance man informed the owner of the lift about technical problems and whether the authorised lift inspector was informed in turn.

There is a certificate from the competent authority that the lift is or is not in good condition and whether it should be replaced.

They also requested that steps be taken to repair the lift immediately to prevent further fatalities, the lawyer’s letter stated.

Christodoulidou was informed in a letter from Achillides on January 2 that they investigated the matter, and the landlady had ordered a new elevator, and that the repair man informed the department that the cost to fix the elevator was too high.

In her response, the lawyer wrote to Achillides and said that the elderly residents want to know the exact cost of repairing the elevator, as they might want to pay for the repair themselves.

She informed him that the repairman refuses to speak to the tenants following an order from the landlady, so the tenants cannot ask him the cost.

“If there is no management committee and the tenants are at the mercy of the landlady while paying utilities, then, some responsible authority must take over to solve the issue and the responsible authority is you,” she wrote.