Q.: I have followed your letter exchange
with Mrs Leblanc of Peyia Municipality regarding
Hypocrisy and I have just read the Ombudsman’s report on
a house converted into a restaurant, with the full view
and knowledge of the Municipality, despite the fact that
neighbors have complained that the conversion was
without a permit. Yet the Municipality did nothing –
Hypocrisy in all its glory?
Jannet Kyriakou
A.: I will not enter into another dispute on this
subject, but this is not the first time that Peyia
Municipality does nothing plus the fact that the
Municipality has taken possession of Coral Bay, erected
staircases, buildings etc, reported as such by the
ex-minister of Interior Mr Christou. Hypocrisy indeed,
since on the one hand you expect a Municipality to look
after the law and not become itself a “criminal” at
large.
A.P. Loizou
Q.: I have asked you for a draft sales contract on
property in Cyprus. You have refused, yet, you claim
that you are a “guru” of the Cyprus real estate. Is this
not a contradiction on your part? I will understand if
you do not publish my letter.
Ivor Hacker
A.: Dear Ivor, I publish all opposing views as long as
they are expressed in a non provocative way. I have
never said that I am a “guru” as you say, of anything.
The first time I heard about the word guru was when the
Beatles visited India. This expression has been landed
on me by various people with good or bad intentions. On
your part, you do appreciate that I cannot and I will
not replace the lawyers in this country, although I must
admit that due to our years of experience, we can
provide good property sales contracts. My suggestion to
you is, use a solicitor but bear in mind our 10 Building
Commandments – I hope I am of some help.
A.P. Loizou
Q.: I love you Mr Loizou for your style and the time
that you take to answer to everybody. I do not miss this
paper every week, just to be informed by you and the
peoples’ problems. Is this what you called your office
“social face”?
Jackie Nasis
A.: You know dear Jackie that if you place an “O” before
your name you will become Onasis, the Greek
multimillionaire, who married Jackie Kennedy.
I love you too for your encouraging words. As a person
but as an Office as well, we want to project a social
face to the public (which is actual and not
theoretical). This Q+A column which has started with 2-3
letters a week, it is now becoming too much. I am always
trying to shorten the readers’ letters and give a short
reply. Obviously with approximately 15 letters/week, I
cannot handle it, but in your case and following the
ancient Greek proverb “nobody will refuse pampering” and
being a Greek-Cypriot I must(!!) publish your letter
Jackie!!
A.P. Loizou
Q.: I want to submit to you through this local Q+A
column several questions to you but I want to know
beforehand, do I have to pay and if yes, could you give
me a fee? As you always say in your articles, get a “fee
quotation” before commitment.
Jane Fonda
A.: My dear madam. If I recall this is your second
letter to this paper. I asked you then and I ask you
now, are you “The” Jane Fonda?
No, this paper and myself do this for nothing. Send
anyway your questions and I will attempt to answer them
as best as I can – I love the name even if you are not
“the” Jane Fonda.
A.P. Loizou
A.: Mr Loizou, you know so much about everything in real
estate and other matters. Why don’t we operate an office
together with, the participation of the so many unhappy
foreign buyers? We could offer to all good/honest advice
in an “one stop shop”.
Chris Lawrence
A.: I had a classmate of mine (in U.K.) with the same
name who was and still is a very good friend of mine.
Despite our friendship he managed without studying a bit
to get the gold award of the Royal Institute of
Chartered Surveyors (notwithstanding my endless
sleepless nights of studying that I had).
What you propose is a good idea but you stand to upset
so many professional firms, that despite the fact that
what I learn through this column, it is a must, it is
for me, a business danger that I cannot take. Perhaps
when I retire we will talk.
A.P. Loizou
Q.: We are considering covering our pergola with a tiles
or with your “psatharka”. Is this legal Mr Loizou?
Jerom Maria
A.: My dear madam do it. It is OK. Bear in mind that the
conversion will be OK if you have titles. The psatharka
option is strongly suggested if you have no title and
the roof tiles when you have the titles issued because
covering with tiles it is considered as being a covered
area (an illegal advice I must tell you).
A.P. Loizou
Q.: We are considering constructing a pool 8 x 4 m. We
are at two minds whether it is worth it. Should a new
pool not be less than 10 meters long?
Margaret Ampsis
A.: It is all a matter of cost and land availability, as
well as age. When we built our pool 18 years ago, 10
meters length was too short. Now it is OK (!!). Perhaps
after 5 years it will be too long. But other things
apart, a pool should have a minimum length of 8 meters.
Do not have a pool with a deep end because it is
dangerous and the water level should be no more than
1.40 m. (on one level). I always dream of a pool 14 mts.
length, but as I have said, age is the dictator of
everything.
A.P. Loizou
Q.: Love your answer on “you” Cypriots and us British.
My dear Mr Loizou we are all Europeans.
Johanna Anostary
A.: Thank you for your letter. I publish it in order to
stress that locals and “foreign Cypriots” are all one.
A.P. Loizou
Q.: You might be aware that Cypriot
people tend to make a lot of noise as opposed to us
Northern Europeans. So in our apartment block we can
almost listen to the next door neighbor’s t.v. program.
What can we do to reduce this affect and please publish
my letter so that others take note as well.
Pam Jelimo
A.: Before buying an apartment make sure that the
dividing walls between apartments are double. If they
have insulation material in the cavity this is even
better. In terms of floor/wall insulation, ask to see
the specifications since the lack of floor insulation
can also cause problems. In your case having bought the
apartment, I suggest you place a chipboard and that
should reduce considerably the noise. You will stand to
lose 1 cm of your internal area, but I would do it Pam –
piece of mind after work is of paramount importance.
A.P. Loizou
Q.: We live next to the beach and we have to constantly
paint the ironwork due to rust problems. It is working
up to a great deal of money and I wonder if there is a
remedy for this. We just cannot afford the money and the
hassle every year.
David Powel
A.: For those who are buying/building their own home
near the beach with the salt affects, opt to use
aluminium/stainless steel, as opposed to iron, be it
that it costs a bit more (get a quotation). If not, get
a good painter to scrap down the old paint, place a
special undercoat and then use an anticorrosion paint.
You will not solve the problem but it will elongate the
redecorating period.
A.P. Loizou
Q.: We are having our house built and one of its strong
points is its very attractive views that it offers. We
are in dispute with the architect since we wish to see
the view while in bed and we insist to have railings to
our balcony instead of a brick wall, but the architect
insists that this cannot be done under planning
regulations. Is he correct Mr Loizou or he is just using
this to get rid of our view? – Love your column.
Lewis Hamilton (name changed)
A.: What is said on the name of town planning
regulations will never stop surprising me. Unless you
are in a some sort of preserved area (e.g. Lefkara,
Lania village etc) there is no such a regulation. So
insist on your idea, but having said that, why don’t you
have glass “wall” set on a metal frame instead of
railings? That will offer you an even better view than
the railings you suggest and it will also make your
bedroom look, visually, larger.
A.P. Loizou
Q.: Is the end of illegal estate agents coming Mr
Loizou? I note what is happening with (name of a Co) who
is clearly an illegal estate agent, but who has managed
to elude the law. Good news I think to get rid of the
cow-boys.
Dora Ferrara
A.: We will soon know Dora. A preliminary decision will
be taken mid September. Although not a final decision,
it has its meaning. I expect that if this Co is proven
to be an illegal state agent, the Registrar of Estate
Agents, will be encouraged to chase all the hundreds
others. As I have said always, justice is done at the
end, but it takes time in Cyprus. I have seen the other
day in a local paper an advert from an illegal cowboy
who says he is not an estate agent and in another page
in the same issue in the same paper he has another
advert himself, advertising that he has won the award as
being the “best estate agent website”!! I think that he
has committed a business suicide!!
A.P. Loizou
Q.: We have been asked by the developer to pay the
annual property tax of our home, yet the value of the
house as at 1.1.80 is not known. He quoted an article of
yours Mr Loizou, where you suggest as a compromise to
adopt 1/3 of the present/purchase price (recent sale)
and apply the percentage charge on this. Any adjustment
to be made at the end. I just wanted to know what is the
logic behind your idea (if it is indeed yours).
Felix Maclaren
A.: Yes it is an idea of mine as a way out a sort of
compromise of this never ending dispute between
developers/owners and buyers and it refers to property
which has no title. As you are aware, the value, which
relates to the tax, is fixed only by the Land’s Office,
upon issue of the titles and it relates to the
1st/Jan/1980 valuation date. So, nobody knows the value.
In the meantime the law states that you should pay the
tax and if not you will be charged 9% interest on the
delayed payments, plus penalty. So you can choose to
ignore the tax completely and pay the interest etc later
(i.e. the tax authorities will charge the developer and
he in turn will charge you) or chose to pay now. There
are so many opposing views and misinformation about this
matter, that I must repeat my article (despite the fact
that it is in our office’s website). A recent letter
from a worried reader, reported that he was informed
that notwithstanding the fact that he has deposited the
sales contract with the Lands Office, he was told that
the rebate will only go back 5 years – What a load of
rubbish my friends. Remember that the property tax
rebate can be claimed only in case the sales contract is
deposited with the Lands Office with no time limit.
A.P. Loizou
Q.: I am writing to Mr Kikis Lazarides, Chairman of the
Cyprus Olympic Committee, to give you a metal for being
the most productive and sustainable writer in the island
over the last 10 years (at least). What do you think?
Philios Phylaktides
A.: Lovely idea Philios, but I doubt that Mr Lazarides
will go for it. The Olympic metal for me is the
friendship of our readers and the good words that I
receive including yours Philios. Many thanks.
A.P. Loizou
Q.: With the water shortages, our friends have suggested
to drill a borehole at least for garden use. How will we
know if our plot has water resources and the quality of
the water prior to committing to this expense Mr Loizou?
Andreas Kolakides
A.: Check if any of your neighbors have a borehole and
you can conclude to an extent what is happening
underground (quantity, quality, depth etc). Usually the
people who drill the boreholes have some sort of
information and they use all sorts of methods. For more
reliable information however pay a visit to the Water
Development Department which has all the geological
plans from satellites. As a rough estimate, for a 200
feet depth borehole including piping, electricity and
pump, it will cost you something around £1.800-£2.200
but out of this, you get most the money from the
Government (District Office) as a subsidy. So it is not
that a great expense bearing in mind the problem. What
is more important however is the mess that your garden
will be left with. Provide an embankment around the
borehole of around 5-6 meters, so that during the drill
you reduce the damage.
A.P. Loizou
Q.: We are landed with a Municipal bill, which amounts
to €180 regarding sewage tax, yet our village has none.
What is this all about? We have paid a visit to the
village Muchtar who confused us more, not giving us a
clear answer. Can you help us please?
Martin Bolt
A.: What I suspect is that your village will have a
central sewage system duly programmed regarding the date
of the execution etc by the Government. The cost is
covered by the Government, as well as a contribution by
the local Authority. In order to collect this money, the
property, which falls within the area to be so provided,
a charge is paid on it, on an annual basis, based on the
1.1.80 value in advance. Yes, I agree with you, that you
pay in advance for a service, which you will have in the
mid or even long future, or you may never have it,
should you decide to sell the property at a given time,
but this is the way it is done (I do not know the legal
side of this, should you wish to pursue the legal path).
On a positive note, however, property with a central
sewage has an enhanced level of value – In addition to
the upgrading of the environment, bear in mind that the
sewage charge will continue to be placed even when the
installation is completed and the charge is based on the
water consumption (a never ending charge I am afraid).
A.P. Loizou
Q.: I note that you refer to bad quality of workmanship
in Cyprus but have you experienced the building quality
in Spain or Bulgaria? I can tell you that Cyprus
building standards is OK by comparison.
Geoff Dorset
A.: No, I have no comparative experience, but we should
compare with the betters and not the worse building
standards. We do not have quality builders and we rely
on imported legal and illegal workers who are far from
being craftsmen. This coupled with the lack of foremen
and proper supervision (eminating from the years of
property boom) we get the results that we get.
A.P. Loizou
Q.: We love Cyprus, but we cannot put up with the heat.
Air conditioning and a private pool helps, but it does
not make us happy. We cannot change the weather Mr
Loizou, but do you have any idea how to have it both
ways?
Patricia Lonely
A.: The only solution I can suggest to you Patricia, is
to live/seek a home in the Troodos mountain villages.
Best spot for me is Platres, followed by Moniatis etc.
Depending on how much you are affected by the heat,
choose a village as high as possible (e.g. Prodromos
village). The heat apart, when and if you decide to move
to a mountain village, check the other parameters as
well (distance, things to do etc). I know that the heat
is being an increasing problem and some people who live
here, choose to go abroad during the July-August period.
A.P. Loizou
Dear Sir,
Q.: We are permanent residents in Cyprus now and we have
just bought a property. We do not yet have the title
deeds (yet). We have a covered carport which comes into
the build allowance on the plans. We were considering as
this is already classed as covered living space, would
there be anything stopping us from converting and making
it into a kitchen?
Thank you for all the helpful advice we have already
received from reading your column.
Many thanks
Colin & Lind Kirby
A.: If your garage is not part of the house, it does not
count in the building density, but for coverage only. As
such you may not legally convert it. If it forms part of
the house and provided 2/3rds of its perimeter is open,
it is the same. If not the garage was calculated in the
building density. Either way you must wait at least the
issue of the certificate of final approval before you
attempt any alterations. Thank you for the compliments
and I hope I am of some help.
A.P. Loizou
Q.: Dear Mr Loizou:
I read your page every week, I trust and respect you
most of all. Now I have a problem and I really need your
help.
I found a house I want to buy through a "cowboy agent"
as you call them. The house belongs to a company and
it's 13 years old. The land has title deeds but the
house doesn't have final approvement or title deeds. The
land is not under mortgage (I checked it at the land
department). The agent tells me that I have to buy it
first and after the owner will apply for the final
approvement.
I'm wondering if there are any unpaid taxes that I have
to pay after. What do I have to be afraid of?
Please, Mr Loizou, I'm waiting for your answer. This is
a house i've been dreaming of all my life and finally
became a nightmare for me!!
Thank you very much.
Maria Koudouna
Q.: Thank
you for compliments and your support. I suspect what
you mean is that the house has no certificate of final
approval, hence also no title. I do hope that you have
checked that the house has a building permit. If it has
and the permit relates to what has been actually built,
you should not be in trouble to proceed with a
certificate of approval. Get an architect or a surveyor
to check it for you Maria. On this count I would
suggest that it is the seller’s responsibility to secure
the certificate of final approval. So hold back around
5%-8% of the sales price until he secures it. To have
the building so registered on the deed and only as a
compromise on your part you can undertake with your
architect to have it so registered since the plot has
its own title and since the building has a building
permit as built and having checked about unpaid taxes
and impediments on the property, you should be OK (I
will suggest you use the services of a solicitor – get a
fee quotation first). You need to pay the transfer
fees. The registered owner must pay all other taxes
prior to transfer.
No need to
be frightened Maria. Follow this advice and your
solicitor’s and go ahead with your dream home. All the
best.
A.P.
Loizou
www.aloizou.com.cy
www.aloizou.ro
www.aloizou.ru
ala-HQ@aloizou.com.cy
