Cyprus’ new House of Representatives must treat condominium reform as an urgent public safety issue, Cyprus Real Estate Developers Association vice chairman Savvas Georgiades has said, warning that years of delays have left thousands of residents exposed to poor maintenance, weak management and deteriorating buildings. 

Among them, he said, the management of jointly owned buildings has now become one of the most pressing, particularly after the developments of recent months, which have shown that the issue “can no longer be left on hold”. 

However, many of these buildings are now facing serious maintenance and management problems, Georgiades said, creating risks not only for the value of properties but also for the safety of those living in them. 

As a result, he added, poor management, weak oversight and the lack of proper controls have contributed to the serious deterioration of a number of buildings, “with direct consequences for the safety of residents”. 

Georgiades said the Management of Co-Owned Buildings and Related Matters Law of 2023 must be placed high on the agenda of the new parliament. 

The existing legislative framework, he said, “fails to respond to modern needs and market realities”, particularly when it comes to collecting communal fees, enforcing decisions and ensuring that buildings are properly maintained. 

For this reason, he said the proposed bill is necessary to create “a more modern, functional and efficient management system”, one that can ensure both the smooth operation of jointly owned buildings and the safety of citizens. 

Georgiades said the association supports the establishment of management committees as legal entities, arguing that this would give them a clearer structure, stronger authority and a more effective role, also pointing to the importance of mandatory reserve funds, saying these could act as a financial safety net for future maintenance, upgrades or emergency repairs. 

He said the collapse of a building in Limassol, which led to the death of two people, together with the subsequent evacuation of apartment buildings in other parts of Cyprus due to safety concerns, showed that “there is no longer any room for further delays”. 

Regular maintenance and proper building management, Georgiades stressed, are not a luxury, but a basic requirement for protecting the safety, value and sustainability of the country’s building stock. 

At the same time, he said Cyprus needs stronger mechanisms for checking and monitoring the suitability of buildings, so that structural problems and other risks can be identified early and addressed before they become irreversible. 

What is needed now, he added, are immediate decisions, modern policies and a clear institutional framework that will allow jointly owned buildings to be managed, maintained and supervised properly. 

The promotion of the bill on jointly owned buildings, Georgiades concluded, is now “a matter of public interest and social responsibility”, and one that cannot remain on hold any longer.