Try to check whether there is any road or other scheme which affects your property or the locality in general. It is advisable that you buy a recent Lands' and Surveys' plan (a whole sheet) for the property you intend to buy, since on these plans many proposed public projects such as roads etc are shown. It is best, if you suspect any schemes in the area you wish to invest, to see the District Inspector (at the District Officer's Office) and/or pay a visit to the local Planning Office.



As a general rule, electricity can be brought to any place in Cyprus provided one is prepared to pay for it. Be careful, however, with the general belief that if there is an electricity line close to the property the cost of providing electricity will not be much. This is not true at all and it is best to examine the approximate electricity provision cost with the EAC District Officer.Telephone lines are a problem for out of built-up areas. If one is needed at your "spot", examine this possibility with the CYTA District Officer.

The most important pending legislation which affects the property market is the following: the Estate Agents' Bill. This proposed legislation regulates the estate agents' conduct and imposes penalties for misrepresentation etc. The agents must be registered with the Government and take out an indemnity insurance; the Developer's Bill. This, most important piece of legislation, regulates development and it proposes to have the Lands' Office to act as an overall controller on development projects which are for sale. Developers will have to take out an insurance in order to indemnify purchasers for wrong doings.

The best approach in buying your cottage is to visit the village of your choice yourself and seek information from the village muchtar (the chairman of the village parish). Estate agents may prove helpful but use them as a second choice. It is evident that the less popular the village is by foreigners, the lower the cottage's price.

For all the towns and for some villages there are water development zones and it is most difficult to get public water supply to a property sited outside the zone. Do not take, therefore, the word of the estate agent, the owner or the village muchtar, that water supply can be made available. Remember that the appropriate water authority is the Water Development Department only.