How to Safely Buy Property in North Cyprus

A recent television program in the UK that focused on buying property in North Cyprus told the story of a couple who had bought an apartment in Girne and who had had a horrible time getting building work completed despite having paid up front for the completion of their home. Clearly the commentary accompanying the facts was written in such a way that viewers would feel this was par for the course if you buy property in North Cyprus and that also, North Cyprus is the only place on the planet to have such awful stories of buyers being treated so shoddily…

However, when you actually look at the facts that the program sought to convey in their own right and then consider the general issues at hand by taking a common sense and logical approach to each problem discussed, you’ll realize that actually, had the buyers had better legal representation and had they done a little more due diligence they may well have avoided many of their problems. Additionally, not one of their problems was unique to North Cyprus – you will find similar tales being told in Spain, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey for example. So how can you avoid these problems yourself? With our commonsense guide - ‘how to safely buy property in North Cyprus’ – it’s written with first hand knowledge and hindsight so that you can learn from our mistakes and benefit from our experience!

1) Don’t buy the first thing you see – building standards differ greatly as do styles of property and what’s more, every town and village has a different character in North Cyprus so explore before you commit to buying.

2) Don’t go on an inspection trip – you will be locked into buying from one agent or developer and because they will have subsidized your trip you can bet your bottom dollar they will also have invested in a hard sell sales course to learn how to pressurize you into signing on the dotted line.

3) Don’t forget that everyone involved in selling you a property is biased – an agent, developer or vendor has a very clear vested interest in getting you to buy property in North Cyprus. While there is nothing wrong with this you do need to keep this fact in mind when asking them their opinions about a property – naturally their opinions will be slightly biased. So, take their advice by all means but remember to go with your own gut instinct as well - and if at all possible get an independent opinion from a trusted friend or adviser on a given property before you buy it.

4) Get decent, independent legal representation – not all lawyers in North Cyprus are properly qualified. Some simply have a degree in law for example which doesn’t qualify them for very much! Check out the qualifications of a lawyer, make sure they have no affiliation with the agent or developer you’re buying from, try and find out how much conveyancing work they have done in the past and look on the internet to make sure there is nothing bad written about them. Protect yourself.

5) Get a proper contract – you need a legally binding contract that lays out every single detail about your property and the nature of the purchase. Every last boring little detail has to be in your contract and your developer has to be locked into that contract so that they pay penalties if they do not complete on time and they cannot ask you for money before a given stage of the build is reached – and more importantly, they cannot ask you for additional sums of money if they mismanage their budget! Think about it – would you sign anything less than a water tight contract back home? No, well then don’t consider signing anything less in North Cyprus. And when someone tells you ‘that’s not the way things are done here’ – look them in the eye and tell them that you don’t accept that. Because believe me, that’s a pile of pants! Oh, and make sure the supply of electricity and water and an access road are included as terms of the sale.

6) Look at completed examples of a builder’s work – if a developer cannot show you anything he has built before – walk away. Even the newer developers to the island ensure they get a show home up and available before they attempt to sell because they know they need to prove they can do what they say they can! If someone cannot prove they can do what they say they can, chances are they can’t do what they say they can! Don’t take the risk.

7) Speak to others who have already bought – if at all possible speak to other buyers who have bought property in North Cyprus and who have bought from your preferred builder. Get their experiences of everything from build quality to customer service, after sales care and snagging.

8) Don’t part with cash until you can see that building work has progressed to the point that it should have – if buying off plan it’s usual to make part payments as and when a given stage of construction is reached. These stages should be written in to your contract and so when a builder calls for the next payment you need to make sure they have reached the stage of the build appropriate and that they have completed all jobs to date properly. Get over to the island if you can to check for yourself – if you can’t, you need a trusted friend or adviser on the ground to go and physically check everything is in order before you release the next payment.

9) Don’t assume anything - do not assume that you will get running water, electric, a bathroom, walls round your property, a roof, drain pipes, a kitchen, light fittings, access to your property – I mean it, do not assume ANYTHING. You need to work very, very hard on getting each and every essential thing written in to your contract – if necessary, take the base contract and personally re-write it. Take it back to your lawyer for them to write it up in their jargon and only when you’re happy with it do you sign it.

10) Don’t believe promises – again, a builder may promise to top soil your garden, put you in an extra water tank, move the bath three inches to the right – a million little details such as these are promised by every single developer or agent to get a sale. And when they make the promise they mean to honour it. However, something happens between them making the promise and your house getting completed. They forget. So get any promise – no matter how small - written in a contract. By the way – as with almost all points here written, this is not merely an issue in North Cyprus, this is an issue with developers the world over!

11) Don’t forget Cyprus gets cold in the winter – I know you won’t believe me but you need central heating in Cyprus. Dual heat/cool air conditioning units are not enough, nor is an open fire place in the living room – if you’re buying a home to live in year round you need central heating.

12) Look very closely at build quality and remember North Cyprus has earthquakes occasionally – North Cyprus does not have to adhere to any European or international laws on construction standards which is why the steel they use in the construction of most property is not as thick as that which is required in other nations where they get earthquakes and where international building standards have to be adhered to. You need to look at build quality, look at the steel, make sure you SEE a damp proof course, look at the way they do their brick infill and the way the roof is put on. Most properties here are built to very good standards…but some really are not. Open your eyes and think carefully about what you see.

13) Don’t obsess on every single detail – you are unlikely to find a perfect house in North Cyprus – there will always be a cracked tile in the bathroom or a door that doesn’t shut properly, you’ll see wonky downpipes and a nail sticking out where it shouldn’t be. Do not obsess about every single detail because you will drive yourself mad and miss the bigger picture. If you get a good feel about the overall construction standards and that the builder is not going to run off with your money as soon as you sign on the dotted line, chances are you can sort out your snagging with their help or even by yourself (marry yourself a handy man, I did!).

14) Remember why you wanted to buy in the first place – North Cyprus is a beautiful country…yes it’s under construction just like Berlin and Dubai for instance, but away from the main road and the concrete trucks being used to build someone else’s dream home you have mountains, you have the Med, you have wild flowers and you have sunshine. Remember why you wanted to buy a place in the sun in the first place. Keep an open mind and an open heart while at the same time use common sense and keep a cool head and you will not come a cropper, you will realize your dream of a better life.

In conclusion – you can buy property safely in North Cyprus – you just have to apply a logical, common sense approach to buying your dream home. Don’t leave your brain on the plane, take off those rose coloured glasses, be boring about checking the details of the build quality, the reputation of the developer and the lawyer and the terms of the contract and when you’ve done all the dull ground work you can actually sit back, relax and wait for your home to take shape.