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Renting a home in Cyprus: when the law protects you, how much the rent can rise and how eviction works

Housing in Cyprus Checked: Changed:

In short

Who it applies to
Anyone renting a flat or house in Cyprus to live in, and anyone letting one.
What it costs
The law sets neither the rent nor the deposit — the contract does. If the home is under rent control, the rent can rise by no more than 6% and no more often than once in 2 years; this ceiling runs until 21 April 2027. A lease signed from 1 January 2026 carries no stamp duty.
How long it takes
Under rent control, eviction only goes through the court. For arrears — if the rent is still unpaid 21 days after a written demand; if you pay everything you owe within 14 days of receiving the application, the court will usually refuse to evict. If the court does order eviction for arrears, it gives no less than 90 days to leave.
Where to apply
Disputes over homes under rent control go to the Rent Control Court — Δικαστήριο Ελέγχου Ενοικιάσεων: eviction, a fair rent, rent increases. If the home is outside the law, that court will not hear your case, and the contract decides.
If your case differs
The law does not regulate the deposit: no ceiling, no deadline for returning it. Write into the contract the amount, when it comes back and what may be deducted, and photograph the flat when you move in.

Your case

The home is in a town or suburb, and the building was completed by 31 December 1999

Rent control protects you. When the contract term ends and you stay on, you become a statutory tenant — θέσμιος ενοικιαστής — and cannot simply be put out. The rent rises no more often than once in 2 years and by no more than 6%, even if you agreed in writing. Eviction goes only through the court and only on a ground in the law: arrears, damage or nuisance to neighbours, subletting without the owner's consent, the home being needed by the owner, their spouse, child or dependent parent — the court then weighs who would suffer more — or demolition and rebuilding, with a permit and written notice of at least 4 months.

The building was completed in 2000 or later, or the home is in a village outside the controlled areas

Rent control does not apply — which is the case for most new builds. There is no 6% ceiling and no statutory tenancy: when the term ends, the owner may decline to renew or ask a new price. Your only protection is the contract itself. Before signing, check the term and how it is renewed, whether the rent can rise during the term, how much notice each side must give to end it, and what happens on early termination.

Deadlines and conditions

  • a home completed by 31 December 1999Law 23/1983, art. 2: «“ακίνητο” σημαίνει κτίριο … που βρίσκεται μέσα στα όρια ελεγχόμενης περιοχής και συμπληρώθηκε μέχρι την 31η Δεκεμβρίου 1999».
  • by no more than 6%Κ.Δ.Π. 108/2025 (Official Gazette III(I) No. 5940, 17.4.2025) under art. 8(4)(α): «το ποσοστό του 6 τοις εκατόν, ως το ανώτατο όριο αυξήσεως ενοικίων». Before that, 6% (Κ.Δ.Π. 119/2023) and 0% (Κ.Δ.Π. 145/2021).
  • the ceiling runs until 21 April 2027Κ.Δ.Π. 108/2025: «για τη διετία που αρχίζει από τις 22 Απριλίου 2025 μέχρι και τις 21 Απριλίου 2027». The next decree is due by April 2027.
  • no more often than once in 2 yearsLaw 23/1983, art. 8, provisos: no application «προ της παρελεύσεως δύο ετών από της ημερομηνίας καθ’ ην ο ενοικιαστής έλαβε κατοχήν … ή από της ημερομηνίας της τελευταίας αύξησης»; a written agreement between the parties is bound by the same interval and ceiling.
  • 21 days after a written demandLaw 23/1983, art. 11(1)(α)(i): rent «καθυστερείται επί είκοσι μίαν ή περισσοτέρας ημέρας μετά την επίδοσιν εγγράφου ειδοποιήσεως απαιτήσεως».
  • pay what you owe within 14 days of receiving the applicationLaw 23/1983, art. 11(1)(α): the court «δε διατάζει την ανάκτηση … όταν ο ενοικιαστής πληρώσει μέσα σε περίοδο δεκατεσσάρων ημερών από την επίδοση σ’ αυτόν της αίτησης παν ποσό το οποίο οφείλεται», except for systematic non-payment.
  • no less than 90 days to leaveLaw 23/1983, art. 11(1)(α)(iii) (Law 3(Ι)/2020): the time to comply with an eviction order for arrears «δεν δύναται να είναι μικρότερος των ενενήντα (90) ημερών». Applies to eviction for non-payment only.
  • written notice of at least 4 monthsLaw 23/1983, art. 11(1)(η): demolition, rebuilding or major conversion — with a permit and «ουχί βραχυτέραν των τεσσάρων μηνών έγγραφον προειδοποίησιν».
  • a lease signed from 1 January 2026Law 239(Ι)/2025, art. 2 (Gazette No. 5070, 31.12.2025): «Οι περί Χαρτοσήμων Νόμοι του 1963 έως 2024 καταργούνται την 1η Ιανουαρίου 2026». Tax Department notice of 09.01.2026: documents signed by at least one party by 31/12/2025 remain liable.

What year the building was completed

The year decides whether the law protects you, and you cannot tell it by looking. Ask the owner or agent before signing and ask to see a document: the building permit or the certificate of completion. If the home is in a village, also check whether it is in a controlled area: after the 2024 merger of municipalities, the old boundaries in the decree no longer match the new ones.

A lease signed before 2026

If the lease was signed by 31 December 2025 and never stamped, a court may refuse it as evidence until the duty is paid with a penalty. By law the tenant pays unless the contract says otherwise. If a dispute is heading to court, ask the Tax Department how to stamp the old lease.

Sources

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