Cyprus: Real Estate and Construction

Owning rental property in Cyprus can be an attractive investment opportunity, particularly given the continued demand for residential and commercial premises from local and international tenants. However, like any property investment, leasing a property carries certain legal responsibilities and potential risks. One of the most challenging situations a landlord may face is the need to recover possession of their property when a tenant refuses to leave, fails to comply with the terms of the tenancy agreement, or creates circumstances that make the continuation of the tenancy impractical.

The purchase of newly constructed or off-plan properties without a separate title deed has long been a common feature of the Cyprus real estate market. Although this practice is widely adopted in property transactions, it understandably creates a degree of uncertainty for buyers, as the completion of the transaction and the full vesting of their ownership rights are contingent upon the issuance and transfer of a separate title deed into their name.

For many property buyers in Cyprus, one of the first questions is whether the property has separate title deeds. The question is important, but it is often misunderstood. A property without separate title deeds is not automatically a bad purchase, and many properties in Cyprus have been bought, sold, mortgaged and occupied for years before separate title deeds were issued. At the same time, the absence of title deeds should never be treated as a minor technical detail.