Ioannou cites tenant resistance as MPs question Ktizo housing progress

Nicosia, Cyprus. Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou told parliament on Tuesday that a resident of a refugee housing block designated for demolition was refusing to leave unless the government paid half a million euro for renovations he claimed to have carried out. The minister cited tenant resistance in response to criticism over delays in the Ktizo housing scheme.

Concerns over construction progress

The case emerged during parliamentary discussion of Ktizo, a long-term government programme worth €130 million that offers incentives for residents to move into replacement housing.

MPs had expressed dissatisfaction last week that just one of the 19 planned apartment blocks had been completed. Defending the programme’s pace, Ioannou pointed to resistance among tenants, including the resident demanding payment before vacating an unsafe building scheduled for demolition.

Assessment of refugee housing

Across areas under government control, there were 358 apartment buildings accommodating refugees. Conditions in some were described as dangerous, and residents feared their apartments could collapse.

Assessments found 245 buildings to be in satisfactory condition, while another 70 needed maintenance to address problems. The other 43 had serious structural defects, with renovation judged neither sustainable nor financially viable.

Relocation options and contributions

Ktizo provides a single grant payment to eligible residents of those 43 unsafe buildings who decide against moving into replacement housing.

Beneficiaries who instead join the programme and relocate to government-subsidised homes must contribute €10,000 towards a one-bedroom apartment, €20,000 towards a two-bedroom apartment or €25,000 towards a three-bedroom apartment.

Those contributions represent roughly 10 per cent of the replacement apartment’s value.