A little bit of research might spare buyers a lot of pain

I am among those who are strongly critical of the very long-standing practices attached to the issues of Title Deeds and Immovable Property Tax, and I have applauded the various pressure groups in their endeavours to bring order out of chaos, confusion and – in some cases – downright dishonesty.

But I was always lead clearly to understand that a line would be drawn before representations made to the British Government and to the European Union Parliament would likely result in damage to the overall property market here in Cyprus. It now seems this line has been crossed if very specific comments appearing in the Sunday Mail (‘EU may enter title deed fray’, May 17) is anything to go by. 

There is much complaint about developers having mortgages on properties that have been sold to clients – thus preventing transfer of title. While I am all for swift legislation to ease this situation, for a few euros and a little time it is perfectly possible for anyone concerned about encumbrances or outstanding mortgages on a given piece of land to have the situation legally clarified by the Lands and Registry Office.

You don’t need a lawyer. You can discover this information quickly and very simply for yourself. Once you have indisputable possession of the facts, you are in a far more knowledgeable position, and can proceed accordingly. 

Perhaps the acutely negative and aggressive press we are experiencing has been necessary to highlight the current shambles, but one might have wished that matters could have been resolved without Cyprus being consequently “knocked out of the top five destinations for property buyers” as you report.

This is not good news, and there are quite a lot of precautions and commonsense measures which potential purchasers can easily take for themselves which will give protection from some of the horrendous ploys and problems we have read about.

Clive Turner,
Paphos

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.