Maybe - so this guys going to dump 25 years worth of bills on her.
Cheers,
** Announcing the Cyprus Property Action Group **
14 posts
• Page 2 of 2 • 1, 2
by nhowarth » Tue Jun 12, 2007 8:44 am
The Cyprus Property Action Group made the front page on Last Sunday's Mail on Sunday. Here's the article from page 6.
Property Owners Lobby for their Rights
HOME owners have announced the launch of the Cyprus Property Action Group (CPAG), the first-ever organised pressure group set up to lobby for their rights.
Dennis O’Hare, one of the founders of the CPAG, which also launched its own website earlier in the week, said the idea kicked off in Peyia in discussions with the local council, which in December saw the election of its first foreign-born representative.
“Most of the expats who came to us had property problems. We had a meeting and decided to start an action group to give them some help,” said O’Hare.
“We are reasonable people and polite and do not want to cause a fuss. We want to work courteously and constructively. We do not want to be a bunch of moaners.”
O’Hare said the CPAG would not be limited to Peyia and that the group had already been contacted by thousands of people.
“The more people we talked to, the more contacts we got so we decided to get organised. We are not here to scream and shout. We want to work with the industry. We are all in this together,” he added. He said there were huge problems with buying property in Cyprus and that people’s lives have been ruined.
“Anyone can be a developer, and we know of someone who sold a house to a couple and decided not to finish it. Now, they are being threatened by these people when they say they want to do something about it. These people come here to retire and this is not an isolated example.
“There are many, many more people really suffering and they have no clue where to turn,” he said.
The situation was particularly tough on retirees, O’Hare said. He said many of them came here after being made to believe the law was the same as in the UK.
“But it’s not, and some people get into trouble through no fault of their own. We even know some people who have been trying to get their Title Deeds since 1968.”
Leading CPAG are O’Hare, elected Peyia councillor Linda Leblanc, businessman David Ball, and Nigel Howarth, a business consultant.
The group has already talked to the Interior Minister and been contacted by people in the industry who want to work with them.
“Our first task is to quantify the problems and build up a database of several thousand people,” said O’Hare. “There were people who were petrified to talk but now we have given them the strength to do that.”
The CPAG can be contacted at http://www.cyprus-property-action-group.net, but because some retirees in Cyprus might not be internet savvy, O’Hare said, they can also send their written statements to PO Box 62427, Paphos 806
10th June 2007 By Jean Christou
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2007
Cheers,
Property Owners Lobby for their Rights
HOME owners have announced the launch of the Cyprus Property Action Group (CPAG), the first-ever organised pressure group set up to lobby for their rights.
Dennis O’Hare, one of the founders of the CPAG, which also launched its own website earlier in the week, said the idea kicked off in Peyia in discussions with the local council, which in December saw the election of its first foreign-born representative.
“Most of the expats who came to us had property problems. We had a meeting and decided to start an action group to give them some help,” said O’Hare.
“We are reasonable people and polite and do not want to cause a fuss. We want to work courteously and constructively. We do not want to be a bunch of moaners.”
O’Hare said the CPAG would not be limited to Peyia and that the group had already been contacted by thousands of people.
“The more people we talked to, the more contacts we got so we decided to get organised. We are not here to scream and shout. We want to work with the industry. We are all in this together,” he added. He said there were huge problems with buying property in Cyprus and that people’s lives have been ruined.
“Anyone can be a developer, and we know of someone who sold a house to a couple and decided not to finish it. Now, they are being threatened by these people when they say they want to do something about it. These people come here to retire and this is not an isolated example.
“There are many, many more people really suffering and they have no clue where to turn,” he said.
The situation was particularly tough on retirees, O’Hare said. He said many of them came here after being made to believe the law was the same as in the UK.
“But it’s not, and some people get into trouble through no fault of their own. We even know some people who have been trying to get their Title Deeds since 1968.”
Leading CPAG are O’Hare, elected Peyia councillor Linda Leblanc, businessman David Ball, and Nigel Howarth, a business consultant.
The group has already talked to the Interior Minister and been contacted by people in the industry who want to work with them.
“Our first task is to quantify the problems and build up a database of several thousand people,” said O’Hare. “There were people who were petrified to talk but now we have given them the strength to do that.”
The CPAG can be contacted at http://www.cyprus-property-action-group.net, but because some retirees in Cyprus might not be internet savvy, O’Hare said, they can also send their written statements to PO Box 62427, Paphos 806
10th June 2007 By Jean Christou
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2007
Cheers,
- nhowarth
- Contributor
- Posts: 400
- Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2006 3:08 pm
- Location: Erimi, Limassol District, Cyprus
by miltiades » Tue Jun 12, 2007 9:18 am
Wishing you all the very best in exposing and obtaining retribution against these crooked so called property developers.
As a Cypriot I feel thoroughly ashamed that such sharp practices are taking place. There are laws to protect the victims in such circumstances and one should never be intimitaded by these sharks.
As a Cypriot I feel thoroughly ashamed that such sharp practices are taking place. There are laws to protect the victims in such circumstances and one should never be intimitaded by these sharks.
-
miltiades - Leading Contributor
- Posts: 19837
- Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 10:01 pm
by nhowarth » Tue Jun 12, 2007 3:18 pm
Hi miltiades
Thanks for your support - don't feel ashamed - there are crooks & villians everywhere in the world - Cyprus is no exception.
The main problem here is that they're allowed to get away with it. For some reason, the authorities don't act.
Properties are built without Town Planning Approval or Building Permits and nothing happens. They don't get demolished, the people who built them aren't fined or jailed. The only ones who suffer are the people who buy the property - they never get the Title Deeds and find it difficult/impossible to sell.
Then there's the problem of selling properties on land that's been mortgaged. People buy property not knowing that the land on which it's being built is mortgaged. They hand over all the money and move in - never get their Title Deeds because the bank has the first claim. And the developers often don't pay off the mortgage - there no incentive to do so. In fact there's every incentive for them not to pay off the mortgage.
Then there's the Final Certificate of Approval. I have a letter in front of me signed by the director of a well-known property developer in Paphos saying the law is inoperative.
We've received messages from a number of people who are living in property without the Final Certificate of Approval - they have been charged by the authorities and summons to appear in Court to answer their crimes!
And by not taking action against those developers who are blatently breaking the law, the Government is encouraging other developers to do the same! So the situation is getting worse & worse.
To become an estate agent, you have to be licenced and take out indemnity insurance, etc. But anyone can set themselves up as a property developer. There's no licencing system, no code of conduct, no need for indemnity insurance - it's completely unregulated!
Antonis Loizou has a very good article in the Cyprus Weekly about how to go about buying property here. All well and good - but why do people need to know how the system works - buying a house should be as simple as buying a car.
If I buy a car in Cyprus, I don't have to check that it's got type approval to be used in Cyprus - so why do I need to check that a property I'm buying has been built legally?
If I buy a car in Cyprus, I don't have to check that the dealer selling it to me hasn't used it as collateral against a loan to build a new car showroom - so why do I need to check that the property I'm buying isn't mortgaged?
If I buy a car in Cyprus, I don't have to pay the annual road tax on all the cars in the dealer's showroom - so why when I buy a property am I expected to contribute towards the developer's annual Immovable Property Tax bill?
If I buy a car in Cyprus and it has to be built in the factory, I look in the catalogue, decide what I want and order it. If it delivered and the colour is wrong, it has cloth seats instead of leather, 3 doors instad of five, I can send the thing back. So why if I buy a property off-plan in Cyprus can the developer deliver whatever he likes to me and expect me to pay?
If I buy a car in Cyprus, I get its Registration Document in a couple of days - so why when I buy a property does it take (sometimes) more than 20 years 20 years to get a Title Deed?
Everybody involved has to take some responsibility for the fiasco - Government, Planners, Developers, etc - and property buyers.
Sorry, long post but I had to get that off my chest.
Thanks again,
Thanks for your support - don't feel ashamed - there are crooks & villians everywhere in the world - Cyprus is no exception.
The main problem here is that they're allowed to get away with it. For some reason, the authorities don't act.
Properties are built without Town Planning Approval or Building Permits and nothing happens. They don't get demolished, the people who built them aren't fined or jailed. The only ones who suffer are the people who buy the property - they never get the Title Deeds and find it difficult/impossible to sell.
Then there's the problem of selling properties on land that's been mortgaged. People buy property not knowing that the land on which it's being built is mortgaged. They hand over all the money and move in - never get their Title Deeds because the bank has the first claim. And the developers often don't pay off the mortgage - there no incentive to do so. In fact there's every incentive for them not to pay off the mortgage.
Then there's the Final Certificate of Approval. I have a letter in front of me signed by the director of a well-known property developer in Paphos saying the law is inoperative.
We've received messages from a number of people who are living in property without the Final Certificate of Approval - they have been charged by the authorities and summons to appear in Court to answer their crimes!
And by not taking action against those developers who are blatently breaking the law, the Government is encouraging other developers to do the same! So the situation is getting worse & worse.
To become an estate agent, you have to be licenced and take out indemnity insurance, etc. But anyone can set themselves up as a property developer. There's no licencing system, no code of conduct, no need for indemnity insurance - it's completely unregulated!
Antonis Loizou has a very good article in the Cyprus Weekly about how to go about buying property here. All well and good - but why do people need to know how the system works - buying a house should be as simple as buying a car.
If I buy a car in Cyprus, I don't have to check that it's got type approval to be used in Cyprus - so why do I need to check that a property I'm buying has been built legally?
If I buy a car in Cyprus, I don't have to check that the dealer selling it to me hasn't used it as collateral against a loan to build a new car showroom - so why do I need to check that the property I'm buying isn't mortgaged?
If I buy a car in Cyprus, I don't have to pay the annual road tax on all the cars in the dealer's showroom - so why when I buy a property am I expected to contribute towards the developer's annual Immovable Property Tax bill?
If I buy a car in Cyprus and it has to be built in the factory, I look in the catalogue, decide what I want and order it. If it delivered and the colour is wrong, it has cloth seats instead of leather, 3 doors instad of five, I can send the thing back. So why if I buy a property off-plan in Cyprus can the developer deliver whatever he likes to me and expect me to pay?
If I buy a car in Cyprus, I get its Registration Document in a couple of days - so why when I buy a property does it take (sometimes) more than 20 years 20 years to get a Title Deed?
Everybody involved has to take some responsibility for the fiasco - Government, Planners, Developers, etc - and property buyers.
Sorry, long post but I had to get that off my chest.
Thanks again,
- nhowarth
- Contributor
- Posts: 400
- Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2006 3:08 pm
- Location: Erimi, Limassol District, Cyprus
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