Cyprus unveils extra-floor and cheap-plot housing plans
Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou outlined new housing schemes, including extra floors up to 150 sqm on family homes and 570 state plots at 25% of market value.
The Interior Minister, Konstantinos Ioannou, has detailed the government's latest housing measures and the overhaul of Turkish Cypriot property management, speaking on Sigma's "Protoselido" programme, as reported by Sigmalive.
According to the minister, the management of Turkish Cypriot properties has changed fundamentally over the past three and a half years. He said the previous 47 years were marked by opacity and a lack of equal treatment, and that the new legislation removed discretionary powers from the Interior Minister. Plots and properties are now allocated on clear, objective and measurable criteria, with applicants scored according to family and financial circumstances and results published.
Five tenders have been issued over the past year for a total of 350 homes, with similar procedures for leaseholds and commercial premises, and auctions in some commercial cases. He said 4,000 commercial contracts were audited for the first time, around 500 irregularities were found, more than 200 cases went to court and properties were recovered. Audits of municipal properties are also under way, and a review of residential contracts has begun. Revenues for the Guardian of Turkish Cypriot Properties have risen as a result, he added, citing one contract that paid just €30 a month for years and now stands at €6,500.
Nikos Kettiros, chair of the Refugee Committee, said the auditing effort had made "leaps, not steps", adding that he backed it despite coming from an opposition party, while stressing that MPs must refer information or complaints they receive to the competent services.
New housing schemes
On housing, Ioannou acknowledged that today's measures need one to three years to bear fruit while the problem already exists. Through planning incentives, plans have been submitted for 4,100 additional housing units, of which 1,140 are affordable, he said. Fast-track licensing has so far issued around 2,500 permits for houses and nearly 1,400 for apartment buildings, corresponding to roughly 15,000 housing units, issued at least 1.5 to 2 years faster than under previous procedures.
One new scheme allows an extra floor of up to 150 square metres on an existing home, even where the building coefficient has been exhausted. It is intended for the housing needs of the same family — children, grandchildren or parents — and applies to houses, not apartment buildings. To prevent commercial exploitation, the extra floor cannot be sold for 10 years, though it can be inherited by children or grandchildren. The scheme runs until the end of 2027 and is expected to benefit rural, village and suburban areas in particular.
A second scheme offers 570 state plots in communities across Cyprus at 25% of their market value. Eligible applicants are couples, single-parent families or couples with children, with at least one partner under 45, and financial criteria will apply to support vulnerable households. About 25 communities already have 570 ready, separated plots, which the minister said will be announced next Monday, with applicants given two months to apply. Selection will be scored, with priority for permanent residents of the community, then those of local origin who wish to return, then those living within 15 kilometres; among applicants in the same category, families with more children come first.
On title deeds for refugee homes, Ioannou said the process is time-consuming as thousands of deeds remain unissued. More than 100–120 deeds go to the Council of Ministers each month, he said, though planning violations complicate many cases. For minor violations, such as a 2–3 metre extension into a green area or an extra 10–20 square metres, deeds can now be issued with a note recording the violation.
He also referred to a scheme for renovating vacant homes and returning them to the rental market, offering €20,000 for a studio, €30,000 for a one-bedroom and €40,000 for a two-bedroom flat, provided the home is let at an affordable rent for four years. Ioannou admitted the scheme has so far drawn less interest than expected, which is why it has been widened.
What it means for residents
The extra-floor and cheap-plot schemes are the two measures most likely to touch households directly, but neither delivers overnight: the minister himself says results take one to three years. For families already stretched by rents, the practical value lies in the details and in how quickly the announcements turn into applications.
- Extra floor: if you own a house and want to house children, grandchildren or parents, you may be able to add up to 150 sqm even after the building coefficient is used up — but the space cannot be sold for 10 years, and the scheme ends in 2027.
- State plots: 570 serviced plots in about 25 communities will be offered at 25% of market value, with a two-month application window once announced; local origin and larger families score higher, and at least one partner must be under 45.
- Renovation grants: €20,000–€40,000 is available to bring vacant homes back onto the rental market, but the landlord must keep the rent affordable for four years.
This text is written from the source article and is not a translation of it.
