In these circumstances, promises and the willingness of locals to help may meet the Authority's objections. A more serious consideration however is section 4A of the Streets' and Buildings' Regulations. This amendment of the Law states that, in certain cases, no building permit will be granted to plots of land which are the result of field subdivision. Therefore, the derivation of the site's title must be examined and verified by the District Lands' Office.



Another factor which is also related to the price, is the payment terms. A developer could be asking a high price for flats but he could be offering very attractive payment terms over a long period. Compare, therefore, not only the extent, quality etc. of a flat, but also the payment terms in order to ascertain who is offering you the best deal.

Quality: In all advertisements for the sale of flats you will find the word luxury. What is luxurious accommodation may be far distant from what you will get however. If the flat you are buying is not ready, have your property surveyor go through the specifications of the materials and finishes so that he can explain their meaning to you.

Non-Cypriot citizens requires permission from the Council of Ministers to purchase property in Cyprus. If this has not been yet obtained then the purchaser should now apply to the council for the permission. This normally takes between 8 and 14 months to be granted, and without this the Title Deeds of the property cannot be made available to the purchaser. The final contract is only entered into when the searches have proved satisfactory.

Compared with other international financial centres, Cyprus offers a distinct benefit in the form of double taxation treaties. Agreements with an increasing number of countries eliminate the double taxation of income earned in any one of these countries. In practice, the tax levied by one country is credited against the tax levied in the taxpayer's country of residence. Where different tax rates apply, the tax payer will ultimately not pay more than the higher of the two rates of the respectively countries.