Newsroom
For a young couple in Cyprus, the price of a home can put the whole plan on hold before it starts. Two government housing schemes offer different ways around one of the biggest hurdles: finding land to build on.
The first is for families who already own property. Parents or grandparents could add another home for a child or grandchild by building an extra floor, extending the existing house, or using space on the plot. President Nikos Christodoulides said the scheme could apply even where the plot has already used up the amount of building normally allowed under planning rules. That does not mean every extension gets an automatic green light; families would still need to meet the scheme’s conditions and obtain the necessary approvals.
The second plan tackles the cost of land. Eligible families could buy state-owned plots for 25% of their value and build a home of their own. To put the discount plainly, a plot valued at €100,000 would have a sale price of €25,000 under the scheme. The house itself would still have to be paid for.
There is an important detail for anyone already wondering how to apply. Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said the first batch of about 570 plots across the districts will go in the coming period to eligible people who expressed interest during an earlier phase. Further plots are planned. For the state-land scheme, applicants must be Cypriot citizens under 45 and meet income, family, and other criteria. Families with children, couples without children, and single-parent families may qualify.
Christodoulides presented the plans as part of a wider housing push. He said the government has committed more than €300 million to housing measures and that over 5,500 new homes are in development. Those figures speak to the scale of its plans; for families looking for a place now, the immediate questions will be which plots become available, who qualifies, and how quickly a proposed home can get through the approval process.
