Owners of dangerous and neglected buildings were urged on Tuesday to carry out immediate repair and maintenance work after a series of structural incidents in Larnaca raised concerns over public safety.

Larnaca district local government organisation (EOA) president Angelos Hadjicharalambous said authorities could not monitor every private property individually and stressed that responsibility for maintaining buildings rested with owners.

His remarks followed the partial collapse of a house in the Chrysopolitissa area on Monday, where part of a wall and ceiling gave way while three women were inside the property.

The occupants escaped unharmed before emergency services arrived at the scene.

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“Fortunately, the three women who lived there managed to get out in time and we did not have any unpleasant developments,” Hadjicharalambous said.

He said the EOA had not previously identified the property as dangerous and had received no complaints or information regarding its condition.

“We knew nothing about this specific building,” he said, adding that the house had not appeared in files transferred from the municipality or in more recent inspections carried out by private architects and EOA officials.

“People must understand that we cannot proceed with an inspection of houses one by one throughout the city and province,” he said.

Emergency services had initially feared people might be trapped beneath debris after the collapse, which occurred shortly before midday on Monday.

Fire brigade crews cordoned off the area while engineers assessed the building’s stability.

The latest incident comes days after the collapse of the roof of an abandoned property in the Sotiros area of Larnaca.

Hadjicharalambous said demolition of that building would proceed within days after the owner received the required permit.

“The organisation has issued the demolition permit, and it is up to the owner to proceed with the demolition immediately,” he said.

He added that if the owner failed to comply, the EOA would carry out the demolition itself and recover the costs.

Hadjicharalambous also referred to another case involving a dilapidated apartment building where residents were ordered to vacate the premises within three days after the structure was deemed unsafe.

“The 40 people who lived in the building abandoned their apartments,” he said, adding that social workers had provided assistance and temporary accommodation options where needed.

Authorities are currently compiling a digitised register of potentially dangerous buildings across the district.

Hadjicharalambous said around 900 buildings had already been identified.

“By the end of May, we will complete a digitised file for all potentially dangerous buildings in the city and district of Larnaca,” he said.

He warned that owners who ignore official notices face serious consequences under present legislation, including criminal prosecution, prison sentences and fines reaching €20,000.

“Non-compliance constitutes a criminal offence,” he said.