Cyprus-Forum.com

[Oneness]

I was advised recently that, next year, building density on land in the coastal areas of Larnaca will increase significantly. I dont know if this a supposed to be a general policy or if just a few hotspots will be affected. Has anyone any useful comments to make about this?!?

[Peterc]

NIGEL HOWARTH, WHERE ARE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU?

[nhowarth]

I'm here Peter - and oneness.

I went to a siminar in Paphos back in July where the (then) Minister of the Interior spoke about new measures being intoduced to alleviate problems in the housing market.

These included increasing the building density and by increasing the number of floors allowed to be built. The Minister was not specific about when these measures would be introduced or where they would be introduced.

Since then, we've got a new Minister. Following next years' elections, we may get another. So it's anyone guess when & where these measures will be introduced.

There are a number of other points under discussion:

Fast-track planning applications for single houses, blocks of up to 8 conjoined dwellings and apartment blocks of up to 10 dwellings. Apparently there are some 10,000 applications outstanding and the Minister plans to reduce these to 5,000 by the end of the year.

The government is also thinking about abdicating some of its resposibiity to the industry - (they've done this in Greece). Basically, the industry itself will check that properties have been built in accordance with Planning & Building permits issued for their construction. IMHO, this is a bit like putting a pack of foxes in charge of a hen house!

All these measures are designed to speed up the mess - why Government refuses to address the underlying mess including: lack of consumer protection, nepotism, loopholes in the law, no law enforcement, crooked lawyers & property developers, illegal estate agents, misleading advertising, etc, beggers belief!

Cheers,

[Southerner]

Is there such a shortage of houses in Cyprus?

[nhowarth]

There's a shortage of affordable housing - yes.

Cheers,

[Southerner]

There's a shortage of affordable housing - yes.

Cheers,

It all depends on what you call affordable, my price bracket is up to £145K CYP, there is an abundance of properties up to that price and I don't mean appartments/town houses/complexes.
What I have seen is appartment blocks going up everywhere, with the developers chasing a reducing customer base with the typical Cypriot lack of logic.

[Nikitas]

The situation is confusing.

On RIK Sat they show documentaries lamenting the move of people from villages to the cities in Cyprus. Yet these villages are not that far from cities, in terms of time they are about 30 to 40 minutes distant by bus. So if the villages stand empty why build more houses in the cities? Why not live like sane people in the village and commute to work like people do everywhere and for much longer than 30 minutes? Cypriots are displaying the modern afflictions that lead to large counurbations where everyone is packed in like sardines and then complain of pollution, crime, stress etc. Confusing!

[Southerner]

There's a shortage of affordable housing - yes.

Cheers,

I was told recently that there were 11,000 vacant properties in the Paphos region and 8,000 in the limassol region.
New build villas are standing empty or going straight onto the rental market which is something that was unthinkable 5 years ago.
The fact that there are so many estate agents/property shops offering so many available properties indicates that there is an abundance of affordable properties, 'Buy Sell' alone claim to have 20,000 properties on their books.

[oranos64]

There's a shortage of affordable housing - yes.

Cheers,

I was told recently that there were 11,000 vacant properties in the Paphos region and 8,000 in the limassol region.
New build villas are standing empty or going straight onto the rental market which is something that was unthinkable 5 years ago.
The fact that there are so many estate agents/property shops offering so many available properties indicates that there is an abundance of affordable properties, 'Buy Sell' alone claim to have 20,000 properties on their books.

thats because they are over priced ...who is going to pay $350k for 4 in paphos with pool ...no one anymore ....11000 vacant that is laugherble

they burst their own bubble

petec .....knock some them builders back down to earth ...that prick that built ours has been boasting that he built the one next door with our money ...in other words two 4 beds house on a plot of land for 100k with all costs ...yet he reckons he made 150k profit ....now you tell me i should feel sorry if this property boom ends ..

NO HO HO

[oranos64]

The situation is confusing.

[b]On RIK Sat they show documentaries lamenting the move of people from villages to the cities in Cyprus. Yet these villages are not that far from cities, in terms of time they are about 30 to 40 minutes distant by bus. So if the villages stand empty why build more houses in the cities? Why not live like sane people in the village and commute to work like people do everywhere and for much longer than 30 minutes?[/b] Cypriots are displaying the modern afflictions that lead to large counurbations where everyone is packed in like sardines and then complain of pollution, crime, stress etc. Confusing!

nikita baby ...there isnt a cypriot who walks in cyprus ...when they get out their car they dont want to walk 20 yards to their point of desintation ...hell i meet english cyps who become the same ...they want to park in the restaurant (drive in diners will be a hit)

and you want them to drive to work ....etc ...check this ... i work in nicosia and live in arathippou ...it takes 30 mins there ..this year alone ..i have been asked and told about a 100 times ...that i work too far !! ...heck i know people who have houses in larnaca who rent property in nicosia monday to friday so they dont have to drive to nicosia for 40 mins in the morning ...and they are still late for work

and get this ...paphos is considered a holiday destination for some larnaca people

the sooner some cyps can attach themselves to a wheelchair ...the better