Filenews 22 September 2021 - byVassos Vassiliou
Illegality is taking place all over Cyprus due to the arbitrariness committed by building owners, which has led to the fact that property titles cannot be issued for about 5,500 housing units. Thousands of other titles were issued with notes.
To the offenders and about 1,000 refugees who are demanding the issuance of title deeds at the time they trespassed on public green spaces or state land or built additional rooms or even touched on the neighbour's property without observing social distancing, etc.
The above was raised before the members of the Parliamentary Committee on Refugees by the Minister of Interior, Nikos Nouris, during their briefing on the policy of his ministry, mainly regarding housing and other programs that have been implemented or are being implemented.
As Mr. Nouris explained, in 2014 the issuance of 120,000 title deeds was pending across the country and added that this year alone, 19,900 titles and another 8,000 will be issued in 2022. As he said, in 2022 another 5,500 securities will be issued which, however, will record notes on illegalities committed by the owners (which will be difficult to sell their units since the prospective buyers will also be informed) and no securities can be issued at all (not even with notes) for another 4,500 units. "The illegalities are so serious," commented the interior minister, who referred to demolitions, interference with foreign property, etc.
He also said that in recent times the Cadastre had to manage 25,000 titles and lease certificates, which are issued mainly to refugee residents in Turkish Cypriot homes or operate in professional premises. Of the 25,000 titles pending for issue, 11,500 titles and 4,000 lease certificates were issued. There remains the issuance of 9,500 titles/ certificates, of which 4,500 are for titles and 5,000 lease certificates.
Especially for the refugee units, Mr. Nouris made it clear that for 1,000 of them, no title deed can be issued, either due to illegalities or for other reasons.
In a member's remark that title deeds could be issued and then the owners brought before a Court for the illegalities, Mr. Nouris indicated that if now that the affected persons need the title deed they do not comply, they will not do so when the pressure is lifted by issuing title deeds.
For apartment buildings in refugee settlements
Regarding the apartment buildings in refugee settlements that face static or other maintenance problems, Mr. Nouris mentioned that an audit was carried out on 358 of them. As he said, 264 were built on Greek Cypriot land and the remaining 94 (about one in 4) were built on Turkish Cypriot land, so they cannot be securitized to the resident refugees.
In 115 apartment buildings, the installation of elevators was completed for €12 million. while the installation in another 30 apartment buildings is planned for a cost of €5.2 million. The minister said elevators cannot be installed everywhere because the law requires the consent of all owners, some of whom do not sign, either because they made illegal extensions or are not concerned about an elevator. "If we start demolishing illegal extensions to the ground floor of apartment buildings, there will be reactions from many," Mr. Nouris said, referring indirectly to MPs as well.
MPs criticised the start of the securitization for election purposes, as they characteristically said, while MP Zacharias Koulias suggested that the state repossesses the common areas in the apartment buildings for the purpose of installing the elevators.
