BRITISH property buyer Conor O’Dwyer staged a protest outside ‘A Place in the Sun Live’ overseas property exhibition at Earls Court accompanied by members of the Alpha Panareti Owners Group, in a move that could cause further damage to the Island’s beleaguered property industry.
O’Dwyer told Cyprus Property News last week that he planned to protest outside the exhibition. He said that he would be raising awareness of the pitfalls of buying property in southern Cyprus and distributing leaflets warning people about the problems that he, and others, have encountered.
The thousands of visitor who flocked to the exhibition were greeted with placards reading ‘Shame on Cyprus’ and ‘Cyprus Island of fraud’ along with others naming a specific bank and property developer.
Members from the Alpha Panareti Owners Group joined Mr O’Dwyer in his protest. Many of these believe that they have been mis-sold property and are taking advice from their lawyers on possible legal remedies.
‘A Place in the Sun Live’ claims to be “the UK’s biggest and best-attended overseas property exhibition” and is organised in conjunction with the popular Channel Four television programme, which attracts millions of viewers each week. The exhibition ends today.
The protest caused some unrest amongst exhibitors, which included a number of property developers from Cyprus, but the police were on hand to ensure there were no problems and that everything remained calm.
Thanks Nigel.
Costas Apacket. I do not think there is a min or max size but the content will have to be accurate.
I’m going to be at Birmingham showing my support, but I need some advice on the legalities and what type / size of protest signs are permissible.
Any ideas from anyone who’s checked?
Well alas the saga will still continue in the Cyprus property market, yesterday Sylikiotis in a TV interview said he was not confident the amnesty bills would be passed…..why? banks intervening and raising concerns last minute despite the bills having been discussed for such a long time he said….tragic up to 150,000 homes deedless and buyers trapped by developer wrong doings and developer mortgages….i wonder what it will take to really shake up the system, maybe another invasion by turkey to take the rest of the island…..
@andyp – there is further ‘A Place in the Sun Live’ exhibition later this year at the NEC in Birmingham between 30th September and 2nd October.
@Costas. You mention an event in Birmingham. Would it not be better to try and get more than 50 by giving details after all more of us are in the UK than in Cyprus?
Great initiative by Conor and folks. Does anyone know who the possible Gov’t folks were who were rumoured to have been in attendance by any chance?
I’d like to follow that thread up – as that could lead to something being moved along…
Great initiative by Conor and folks. Does anyone know who the possible Gov’t folks were who were rumoured to have been in attendance by any chance?
I’d like to follow that thread up – as that could lead to something being moved along…
Conor, a man standing up not only for his own rights but for what now seems thousands of others. If there are any decent Cypriot companies out there, do yourself a favour and make your voice heard and help the Brits that want to invest in your island.
That particular group are already planning a much bigger peaceful protest for the NEC Birmingham which will gain even more unsavoury publicity for unscrupulous Banks, Builders, Lawyers etc. With possibly over 50 people making people aware of the pitfalls in buying in Cyprus. Y.K.W. go away and crawl back under your stone.
Good luck Conor and everyone involved in your fight for justice.
@YouKnowWho. Conor did not create the scandal and can hardly make it any worse than it already is. He is a victim not the perpetrator.Your vicious comments appear to be an expression of your selfish concern about you trying to sell your own Cyprus property and trying to load all the blame for your predicament onto him (and presumably anyone else who is fighting for their property rights and justice in Cyprus).
Odd_Job_Bob.
Unwittingly or otherwise, your final words, “with apparently no rule of law”, encapsulate what the problem is in Cyprus.
It doesn’t matter what the medium is, be it title deeds, lawyer negligence/fraud, corruption in government, favours (rusfeti), unauthorized teeth implants, loss of medical files, etc., etc.
It all comes down to the fact that the rule of law simply doesn’t exist. The populations of countries to the south of us have risen up against their ruling classes because they want freedom of expression AND the sweeping away of systems which encourage and condone corruption and openly flout the law…
Dear Y.K.W. As far as I am concerned, Mr Conor O’Dwyer is fighting for justice, & your comments are total garbage! So tell me, which developer do you work for?.
YouKnowWho does have a point though (not about Conor being a “moron” and “idiot” etc, which I think is totally unjustified).
YKW states that he is looking to sell his property and move back to the UK (fair enough). He then talks about “all those poor people who want to sell”. At no point does he mention all the prospective buyers abounding out there.
Thus, from his very own comments, he recognises there is a massive supply/demand problem, (the over-supply to which he’s actually contributing, the reasons for him wanting to sell having probably nothing to do with the Conor publicity but very well may be shared by other prospective sellers). This in itself forces down prices.
If you add to that the proposed bills which may make bank security (i.e OUR PROPERTY, not just the deedless stuff but ALL if it) worthless, as well as the amnesty and no consequences to developers bills, (meaning they don’t even have to try to sort out their mess as we the duped property purchasers will have the honour of taking over their defaulting mortgages), then the only person who would buy in Cyprus is either completely ill-informed or basically just stupid.
Conor’s publicity stunts, with which some may/may not agree, are the very least of the problems for those of us trying to shift s#*t stock in an unregulated, falling market with apparently no rule of law…
YouKnowWho what a strange title to pick? I think the thread and the picture shows other people who have grievances but you only mention Conor,
WHY?
Maybe you can honor us all by declaring who you are, or maybe you are employed by a developer?
@ YouKnowWho If you have all paperwork and no developers mortgage then you should have no problem in selling it will be just down to price.
If however you do not and simply want to stuff someone else with your problem then that is not particularly nice.
Conor can shout as loud as he likes and why shouldn’t he?
You know who, if you’re trying to sell your house to return to the UK, then who do you think someone still wanting to buy a home in Cyprus would prefer buy off now? Someone who is genuinely trying to sell like you? Or a supposedly dodgy developer. I know who I would choose, assuming your honest developer has let you have your title deeds of course……..
To: YouKnowWho
If tarnishing every developer in Cyprus with the same brush is what it takes, then so be it.
If you yourself are a developer there, then isn’t it in your own long term interest that the property market is put on a proper legal footing?
If you are a developer there and is happy to see purchasers with no proper legal rights, then I understand your annoyance. Shame.
Your final comment seems to indicate you are part of, or at least agree with, the Cypriot development “community”; in which case, your days are numbered.
Finally, if you’re someone who just doesn’t like to see people fight for their rights after the way in which the likes of Conor O’Dwyer are treated, then perhaps you should join Gaddifi.
@YouKnowWho
Most, if not all, Cypriot developers are tarred with the same dirty brush and deservedly so.
Name one which has Completion Certificates, as required by the law, when buyers move in – into illegal properties.
Most have mortgages on the properties they are selling which they deceitfully hide from buyers.
Most if not all charge illegal cancellation charges if a buyer without deeds wants to (or has to) sell ‘their’ property.
And most scam buyers on IPT, sewage and other taxes.
It is no wonder that the despicable and dishonest Cyprus property industry wants to silence him.
It is not Conor who is the moron!
YouKnowWho; from Paralimni perhaps?? It doesn’t matter where you’re from but if, as I suspect, you’re a developer you fall into one of two categories. You’re either a bent developer yourself in which case you should be ashamed of yourself but if you’re bent you have no shame and need locking up for a very long time. If you’re not bent then instead of berating an innocent party in all this, your attention should be directed to those who have brought the property sector in Cyprus to it’s knees IE. bent developers, lawyers, banks and government officials. Now the problems are in the public domain it is in every Cypriot’s best interest to deal with those problems properly; failure to do so will have a knock on effect on many aspects of life in Cyprus. Kiss goodbye to the tourist industry and along with it any chance of making deals with the unwary traveller, then there are the shops who won’t be selling their wares, or the car sales or furniture etc. Get my drift? In short, unless this whole property debacle is deal with quickly and fairly, life as many have come to know it will cease to exist. You’ve all heard the saying “from mules to Mercedes” well this time it could well be “from Mercedes to mules”.
You Know What??? – you appear to want free expression for your own views, but not those of others, when what they say doesn’t suit you.
All developers will be tarred with the same brush unless they get their own house in order and name & shame the wrong doers.
Perhaps you could start the ball rolling by naming some good developers and to prevent them all being tarred with the same brush perhaps you could name & shame some bad developers?
We could then perhaps get some feedback from Customers of your ‘good’ developers to see just how ‘good’ they are?
Or are they really all the same?
@YouKnowWho – What’s up mate, can’t handle criticism?
Here’s a suggestion for you. Tell all the honest good Cypriot Developers & Lawyers to lobby the Cyprus Government to punish all the bad & dodgy developers & lawyers.
DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE !
If you got the ***** of course :-)
YouKnowWho isn’t it about time:
1.the “good” developers break their silence and support justice for all?
2.the government provides answers – see https://www.news.cyprus-property-buyers.com/2011/03/13/please-tell-me-why-mr-president/id=007121
3.the justice system deals with Conor’s legitimate claims?
Maybe then this courageous “prat” will be able to get on with his life.
Totally agree with Conor, I bought a property as a resale 6 years ago that was finished being built in 1999 and still I am waiting for the title deeds even though my solicitor put into the sale of contract that I must have the Title deeds within 5 years, I still have to take the developer to court and pay for the privilege of doing it to get them, which would be more money wasted.
Once I sell the property, it will be the last with Cyprus.
Yes the idiot is and to all those poor people who want to sell. Protest about your own problem but don’t tarnish all developers with the same brush. The man is an unmitigated moron who is harming peoples ability to sell their properties and return to the UK.
@ YouKnowWho
Sir,
Your comment is deliberately offensive and provocative. If all developers had got together and agreed to work ‘ethically’ and with due consideration towards their customers Conor O’Dwyer would not have had his life blighted by the dealings of being involved with a developer, instead he would have enjoy a retirement in the sun.
As for your comment about. “Tarnishing all developers with the same brush” May I say that a man is judged by the company he keeps, and when 130,000 people are without title deeds they have a right to fight back.
I thank Mr O’Dwyer for his work in bringing to the attention possible victims of fraud by the Cypriot Government.
Very effective Conor, I think you are becoming a Nemesis to the property industry !
Once again this moron is tarnishing all developers with the same brush. Its about time someone silents this prat.
Well done to all those who protested outside ‘A Place in the Sun Exhibition’.
Go and pedal your property elsewhere, not in our backyard preying on unsuspecting buyers!