Purchasing and registering property

The process of purchasing property in Cyprus is relatively simple. At N&C Kyriakides estates ltd, we recommend you undertake advice by a professional firm who will put their maximum safeguarding your rights on all matters of conveyance.

Entitlement

Cypriots or persons of Cypriot origin and EU citizens who have their permanent residence in Cyprus can purchase any property without any restrictions. The residential status is obtained when a person resides in Cyprus for more than 185 days per year.

Eu citizens not permanently living in Cyprus and non-EU citizens are entitled to buy one apartment or one house or a building plot or land. The size of the property can be up to 4,014 sq.mtrs(the equivalent of three donums).

Making an offer

Buying property in Cyprus is very transparent. The purchaser makes an offer and if it is accepted, it is normal practice to give deposit/reservation fee of between €1.710 and €3,420 to reserve the property, bind the owner, have the property taken off the market and secure it at that day’s price.

This in Cyprus, unlike the UK and other countries, is legally binding. In the meantime, this gives your chosen lawyer the opportunity to do all the preparation work. More specifically, to conduct a search at the district land registry in order to discover whether there are any mortgages, impediments of liens on the property that you intend to buy. They also proceed and determine the building coefficient and all necessary actions to prevent any mishaps which one might come across in the future.

Preparing a contract

What do the lawyers do? Your chosen lawyer should examine your case carefully and prepare tailor-made contracts to reflect the complexity of the transaction accordingly. Contracts are consequently drawn up and this process takes only a few days provided that all the searches have been conducted and provided they have collected all the relevant documentation necessary from the developer/vendor. The signed contract must be deposited in the local land registry office within 60 days of the signing date and 20 – 30% of the contract value must be received by the solicitor for this to take place. The remaining sum is paid according to the terms agreed with the seller which usually includes periodic installments until delivery.

What must my contract definitely include?

The right to sell your property even though the title deeds are not yet in your name

The right to assign • a twelve-month guarantee in regards to defective construction

An expected delivery date

A penalty clause in case of late delivery

An expected time period in which the title deeds will be transferred into your name

When do sign my contracts

If you are still in Cyprus by the time the contracts are prepared you can go to your lawyer’s office and sign all necessary documents. If you have already returned home by this point, your lawyer can send the contract to your home address via data post. The contracts are thus delivered to your door within 48 hours after being sent from Cyprus.

Who will undertake to stamp my contracts and deposit them at the land registry office?

As soon as your lawyer receives the signed contracts they contact the developer/vendor to come and sign. Then on receipt of the first payment, the contracts are then taken to the tax office to be stamped and subsequently deposited at the land registry office. Once this is done, your rights are protected and it provides additional safeguards by blocking the property and consequently not allowing the seller to resell it. The contracts must be stamped within 30 days of signing and deposited at the land registry office within 60 days of signing. The government archives are confidential and will not be published or made accessible under any circumstances.

How is stamp duty calculated?

Stamp duty is levied at the rate of 0.15% of the value of the property up to €170,860 and 0.20% for over €170,860. The purchase contract must be stamped within 30 days of it dated signature; otherwise as fine will be imposed.

How will I know when a stage payment is due?

When a stage is completed the developer will notify your lawyer that a payment is due. The ‘’notice of completion’’ will be signed by the civil engineer or the architect. You will have a short period of grace to pay but in any case, no funds are handed over until such a certificate is received.

Do I send my funds straight to the developer/vendor?

This is possible but your lawyer can do this o your behalf and N&C Kyriakides estates can assist you to get a better and guaranteed exchange rate. Funds that are sent by swift usually take 4-5 working days to clear into our account. Once they exchange your funds they should notify you and pay the developer/vendor on your behalf. All receipts will be kept on your file. How do I acquire the title deed?

Transfer of ownership from the vendor to the purchaser has accomplished through the Cyprus land registry office, either by the buyer in person or by an appointed third party with a power of attorney.

Upon transfer of the property and registration in your name, the district land registry office will charge transfer fees, which are based on the market value of the property at the time of purchase, and are calculated as follows:

Example:

Property value €187,946

If two people are buying property (e.g. Husband and wife), the above figures are for each person. Thus, with a couple purchasing a house for €170,860.00, the total paid would be 3% on €85,430.00 for each person.

Note: if you buy an off-plan property you may have to wait up to 5 years for your title deeds. Do not let this time period worry you. You can still sell a property that does not yet have the deeds. The only thing that you can’t do is alter the property in any structural way. However, in order to be able to sell the property even though you do not have the deeds, you must make sure that this right is included in your original contract of sale.

Where will the title deeds be delivered? The Land Registry will send your lawyer your title deeds whereupon they can either send them to you or you can pick them up in person.