Cyprus unveils plan to build new family homes on top of existing houses

The Interior Ministry has released further details of a new housing scheme that lets owners of existing homes build an additional dwelling for family members, as reported by Cyprus Mail. The measure, announced as part of two broader housing plans, allows construction on top of an existing approved house, within its shell, as an extension, or elsewhere on the plot where space permits.

According to the ministry, the scheme applies nationwide in cities and communities on plots where residential development is permitted under local plans. It is designed to make use of property families already own, cut the cost of finding a new home and ease the pressure on household budgets.

Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou described the plan as a targeted social intervention that creates more options for decent, affordable housing and supports families, especially the younger generation.

Key provisions

• The new home can be built on the floor of an existing approved house, inside its shell, as an extension, or within the free space of the plot.
• Building area is capped at 150 sq m, rising to 180 sq m on plots of at least 1,000 sq m.
• The scheme runs until 31 December 2027 and applies to applications filed with the planning authority by that date.
• Planning permits are valid for no more than three years.
• The new unit cannot be sold or transferred for ten years, except through inheritance.
• Parking requirements can be met through the buy-out mechanism where on-site spaces are not feasible.

The scheme does not apply to listed buildings or Areas of Special Character, to flats in existing apartment blocks or homes that form part of unified residential developments, to plots outside development limits or in tourist zones, to environmentally sensitive areas, protected landscapes, nature protection zones and controlled areas under the Antiquities Law, or to the legalisation of unauthorised structures that existed when the scheme was published. It can be combined with other housing programmes, but applicants who have already used an incentive granting extra building density cannot take part.