Newsroom
In a move aimed at boosting fairness and transparency, Cyprus’s Parliamentary Committee on Refugees announced Tuesday that updated lists of available Turkish Cypriot properties will be published every three months online.
Until now, property updates were irregular, leaving refugees uncertain about when and what was available for homes, shops, or farmland. “Citizens will now know exactly when to check the website,” said committee chairman Nikos Kettiros.
The new rules also open the door for applicants willing to take on properties needing expensive repairs. Previously, if renovation costs exceeded €40,000, the properties were left unused. Now, those costs can be covered by applicants themselves, potentially unlocking more abandoned homes across villages.
Farmers and livestock breeders will benefit, too. The committee agreed that hereditary agricultural workers can claim land suited to their farming needs, including dry land used for cultivation and animal grazing.
Discussions are still underway about rent levels for commercial properties, with proposals ranging from 30% to 75% of market rent. The committee plans to decide on rent terms, including how often increases should happen, in upcoming meetings.
To bring consistency, the committee also set a maximum lease term of seven years for all properties under special management. This ends a confusing past where lease lengths varied widely from just one year to as long as 90 years.
With most major decisions made, the committee will now finalize the details before presenting the updated rules to Parliament.
