Properties without Title Deeds

Should you purchase a property without Title Deeds? In order to answer this questions lets first look at what is Title Deeds in Cyprus and how you can get one.

Title Deeds or “The Certificate of Registration of Immovable property” is a formal document issued by the Land Registry of the Republic of Cyprus which indicates the legal owner of a property, among with other specific characteristics of the property. (e.g. location, registration number, sheet, plan etc).

All land in Cyprus has a title deed. However when a development is taking place in the land, the developer is required to get specific permits from the Planning Department and follow the development based on these permits. Hence the land can be divided into smaller pieces of ownership with their own Title Deed.

Type of Issues and Solutions

Type 1: If a development does not follow the permits, e.g. changes in development without appliying with for new permits or failed to connect the development to the sewerage. To solve this issue steps need to be taken in order to correct those illegalities or conclude the outstanding jobs.

Type 2: Developer-related issues. If there are outstanding payments from the developer or mortgages on the property then the property owner should go through the trapped-buyer scheme and issue a separate Title Deed for his property to his name.

Should you buy a property without Title Deed?

In Cyprus you can buy properties even without Title Deeds in place. This usually happens when the price of this properties are really low. However purchasing a property without Title Deeds can be still fine, as long as you do the right due diligence and making sure that Deeds will be issued once you can apply for them. If all the permits have been followed and the development has no illegalities an

Author: Christos Nikolaou

BEng Mechanical Engineering, MSc Real Estate, ETEK Property Valuer, Register and Licensed Real Estate Agent.

Christos Nikolaou is the founder and Managing Director of Property Canvas, he holds a license as an Estate Agent from the Association of Real Estate Agents of Cyprus and he is a registered Property Valuer in the Technical and Scientific Chamber of Cyprus (ETEK). He is the author of our “Properties without Title Deeds” and is a certified advance negotiator.