The Secretary General of the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ETEK), civil engineer Andreas Theodotou, in an interview with KYPE following the latest incident of balconies collapsing at an apartment building in Limassol. 

Responding to questions, Mr. Theodotou said that this latest incident of balconies collapsing “once again highlights the issue of the many old buildings we have and the fact that these buildings, as we have said before, were mostly designed and built before 1994—that is, before any regulations were implemented.”

Quite a few buildings, he added, were built shortly after the invasion, “somewhat hastily, without supervision, and in many cases using substandard materials.” 

The major problem we face, he noted, is that these buildings are not being maintained. Referring specifically to jointly owned apartment buildings, he said that often there is no consensus among all the owners to maintain them. 

“So, we see a great many apartment buildings that are in a state of disrepair,” he emphasized. 

READ ALSO: Here is the vehicle crushed by the balconies that collapsed in Limassol (PHOTO)

Prevention through MOTs and building inspections

The Secretary General of ETEK stressed the need for regular building inspections (MOT).

It is something, he said, that has been under discussion for many, many years, and he expressed the hope that when Parliament reconvenes, the issue will move forward for a vote. 

He added that they also discussed the issue with the Minister of the Interior, who, as Mr. Theodotou told CNA, believes that in order for the measure regarding regular building inspections (MOT) to be implemented, —a view that ETEK also supports—legislation concerning jointly owned buildings, which is new legislation, must also be passed at the same time. 

“Essentially, these must be combined so that we can, in a sense, require management committees to conduct regular building inspections, that is, for the management committees to hire an engineer who will visit the site, conduct the inspection, and issue this building inspection certificate,” he explained. 

He described the issuance of such a certificate as a very important measure, noting that, in the first phase, it will be possible to create a comprehensive record, a database of the number of buildings—for example, those built before 1994—their current condition, and whether they have been maintained or not, so that subsequent measures can be taken.

He went on to say that the next steps could include, for example, incentives for owners to renovate and reinforce their buildings, such as government grants or European Union grants.

Thus, Mr. Theodotou concluded, owners of apartment buildings will be able—provided the engineer identifies a problem—to proceed with at least the urgent repairs and carry out the necessary fixes.

READ ALSO: Balcony Collapse: Scene Cordoned Off by Police and Limassol EOA

The apartment building where two balconies fell on Monday night, has not been deemed dangerous, but it had been classified by the Limassol Municipality as a building in need of maintenance, and relevant recommendations had been made, the President of the Limassol Building Control Authority, Yiannis Tsoulofta, told CNA.

Mr. Tsoulofta was asked to comment on the incident, in which the fourth-floor balcony collapsed, taking with it the third-floor balcony of an apartment building located on Ilissou Street, resulting in damage to a parked car.

As he said, “From the very first moment, engineers from the Limassol EOA, as well as myself personally, went to the scene, while a contractor from the Organization cordoned off the area.” In cooperation with Civil Defense, he continued, “we proceeded to evacuate the apartment building, and Civil Defense arranged temporary overnight accommodations for about 20 people who had nowhere to stay.”

“Today, at first light, EOA engineers are on site and are assessing the structural condition of the apartment building to determine whether residents can return or if it will remain vacant until the danger has been eliminated,” he added.

READ ALSO: Alarm in Limassol: Balconies of an apartment building collapsed and crushed a vehicle

The President of the Limassol EOA indicated that, based on initial assessments, it appears the problem concerns the balconies of the apartment building, which had not been deemed dangerous on the relevant list received from the previous competent authority, the Limassol Municipality.

“It had been classified as a building in need of maintenance rather than as dangerous, and a letter had been sent stating that the exterior masonry showed signs of damage and deterioration and that the balconies were in need of maintenance,” said Mr. Tsoulofta, adding that the owners had been asked to appoint a civil engineer to address the issues that had been identified.

When asked about this, Mr. Tsoulofta said that, based on the results, it appears that this has not been done, and he reiterated the position that the tools available to the Organizations for cases involving dangerous buildings are time-consuming and ineffective.

He also pointed out that the Authority’s request for an evacuation order for the dangerous Seagate apartment building, in the tourist area of Germasogeia, which was filed on May 20, 2026.

SEE ALSO: PHOTO: Balconies collapsed from a seven-story apartment building; Civil Defense arranged accommodation for the tenants | AlphaNews

Here’s what Yiannis Tsoulofta, President of the Limassol EOA, and Nikos Logginos, Head of the Fire Department, said on the Alpha News program: