Wednesday, 30 January 2008

Cyprus Villa Secrets

By William Marind

The next step is to appoint an architect to carry out the design. There is an abundance of well qualified architects on the island and many capable technicians as well. We suggest that you appoint an architect for the purpose (not an engineer or technician). Architect fees range from 4%-6% (on the building cost) but you can agree also on a fixed fee. The prevailing fees are 3.8% on the building cost for a complete set of architectural plans and 1.6% for supervision (including the issuing of certificates).

Upon signing a contract, the Purchaser is liable to pay stamp duty which amounts to 0.115% of a purchase price up to CY 100.000, and then at a rate of 0.2% on any purchase price in excess of CY100.000.Land registry fees are payable when the owner ship of the property is transferred. This is on a sliding scale, ranging from 5% to 8% depending upon the value of the property.

Firstly, a preliminary contract is signed. This binds both the vendor and the purchase to buy and sell the property on terms and conditions that have been mutually agreed. This is subject to the purchaser being able to receive good title to the property and obtaining the necessary permits from the Cypriot government.At this stage, a deposit is lodged with a Lawyer or a Notary.The purchases lawyer will now carry out the searches at the District Land Registry to ensure that the vendor of the property is indeed, the owner and ensures that the purchaser obtains good title to the property.

Another factor which is also related to the price, is the payment terms. A developer could be asking a high price for flats but he could be offering very attractive payment terms over a long period. Compare, therefore, not only the extent, quality etc. of a flat, but also the payment terms in order to ascertain who is offering you the best deal.

Services: Experience has proved that it is difficult for co-owners to agree on the common servicing of the blocks. It is therefore advisable, especially if you are buying in a large block, to prefer to buy where the block has the lowest common services bill. Central heating has proved to be a major problem and the cause of many quarrels amongst co-owners. Avoid, also, flats which have common hot water facilities.

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