Finance William Marind on 04 Feb 2008
Cyprus Private Property
The quality of construction is another problem. Normally the developer’s reputation and a visit to a previous project will give you an idea of what you can expect. Show a preference to blocks utilising low maintenance materials: sprits finish to a block as opposed to decoration is an advantage; the use of timber windows as opposed to plastic ones is a disadvantage; a poor quality lift will cause you major future difficulties etc.
In addition a 1.5%-2% is payable for the structural design and 0.3% for structural supervision. If you are at a loss as to the choice of a suitable consultant, seek the advice of the Registrar of the Association of Architects & Engineers (all licenced architects must be registered). Please bear in mind that in case of large buildings you may be able to negotiate a lower fee (as also in the case of repetitive work).
The main developers in Cyprus tend to look after their own after sales, so your first point of call would most likely be direct to them whether it’s to have alterations or to highlight any problems with the property itself. That said, we do have a wealth of experience in after sales and can act upon your behalf should things not get resolved to your satisfaction.As we only work with the most prestigious companies on the island, you’ll find most of these offering in-house property maintenance services from gardening to pool maintenance, regular cleaning to ad hoc visits. If they don’t offer the service you require themselves, they will certainly put you in touch with a reputable company near to your property, ensuring they are best placed to keep an eye on it for you.
To date, double tax haven treaties exist between Cyprus and the following countries: Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, Malta, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Syria, United Kingdom, South Africa, United States and Yugoslavia.
There is an increasing tendency by the local and the foreign market (in particular the British market) to acquire old village houses which are subsequently improved/converted into modern residences.Before the “craze” of village cottages started, there were some real bargains for this nature of property. Nowadays cottages of character and colour are relatively expensive and they may amount, together with the repair improvement bills, in excess of what a new villa of the same size would cost.