Only 4 out of 10 damaged houses in Limassol were built legally

The recent fire in the foothills of Limassol revealed deep structural problems in Cyprus’s construction sector — only 40% of the buildings affected by the fire had proper permits. These data are contained in a report by the Limassol District Local Government Organization (EOA).

The audit, which covered 710 buildings destroyed or damaged during the fire, showed that 104 of them were built without any documentation — without plans or building permits. Another 221 properties fell into the category of insufficient or missing documentation. Building permits were found for 336 cases, but only 293 of them passed full verification; 43 properties require further file checks.

Thus, only 293 out of 710 buildings were recognized as “partially licensed,” accounting for about 40% of the total. The remaining 417 properties either have only planning permits, or no documents at all, or require further clarification of status.

Initially, the mayor of Kourion, Pantelis Georgiou, estimated the share of unauthorized constructions at 20–30%. However, the analysis shows that buildings constructed without any permits already account for 13–15% of all damaged properties — and this does not include those with insufficient or missing documentation.

The verification process was complicated by poor record-keeping and storage of documents: many files were kept in boxes, were outdated, and with changes in plot numbers or ownership, it became difficult to reconstruct their history. For 221 properties, EOA officials intend to contact owners to provide supporting documentation.

The report has been forwarded to the provincial administration of Limassol. Owners of properties without permits must submit documents for legalization in order to receive state compensation. According to current regulations, owners with all necessary permits will receive full compensation, while owners of unauthorized buildings will receive only 25% of their losses.