Residential complex for 500 people may be evacuated in Larnaca: building being checked for structural safety

The possibility of evacuating a large residential complex housing about 500 people is being considered in Larnaca. The reason was a preliminary technical assessment that indicated the building might be unsafe. A final decision will be made after a detailed report from a private engineer.

According to Philnews, the initial inspection has already been completed and identified potential structural risks. However, authorities emphasize that there are currently no grounds for immediate eviction.

The complex is home to both permanent residents and tenants, including short-term rental users via Airbnb. Among them are Cypriot citizens and foreigners.

The Chairman of the Larnaca District Local Government Organization, Angelos Hadjicharalambous, stated that all decisions will be made solely based on a full technical report. According to him, people cannot be evicted based only on preliminary data. The engineer's conclusion is expected in the coming days.

The municipality notes that this is not an isolated case. Several other potentially problematic buildings have been identified in the city, with the general list containing about 565 objects requiring inspection. At the same time, detailed technical reports exist for only some of them. Until recently, about 100 buildings had been inspected in Larnaca, but inspections were accelerated following recent tragic events in a neighboring region.

The situation across the island remains tense. In Limassol, a residential complex housing 20–30 families is already being prepared for evacuation. A phased relocation procedure is being applied there: residents were first given three months to leave, then the period was reduced to three days, after which legal measures began.

Additional attention to the problem intensified after the collapse of an unsafe building in the Germasogeia area in April. As a result of the tragedy, two people died and three were injured, even though the residents continued to pay for their apartments.

Now the fate of the building in Larnaca depends on a single document — an engineering report that will determine whether hundreds of people will have to urgently leave their homes.