THE FOREIGN OFFICE’S ‘Know Before You Go’ team will be at the ‘A Place in The Sun Live’ show at Earls Court, London on 30 March – 1 April.
Stephen Jones from the British Consulate in Spain and Stelios Kyriakides from the Consular Directorate in London will be taking questions from the public.
They’ll be on panel sessions throughout the three days, and available the rest of the time at ‘Know Before You Go’ stand (number E49).
Brits remain one of the biggest ex pat groups overseas, with over 5.6 million living abroad. Research is key to planning to move or buy property abroad. Property laws in other countries often differ from the UK, and it is also important to ensure you plan for the long term, for example pension arrangements.
Foreign Office staff overseas regularly hear from British nationals who have got into difficulty as a result of not researching fully before signing that contract.
The Foreign Office has produced advice on before you go, when you arrive and buying property to help get you started.
At the end of the day Nigel a buyer must ultimately rely on their chosen lawyer to do their job, as defined by The Supreme Court of Cyprus a few years ago, and protect the client buyer. As we all know as a general rule this does not happen.
@paul – I agree with the Foreign Office’s assessment. Many people who bought here simply accepted what they were told by lawyers, developers and estate agents without question.
Information about the problems associated with buying property here and warnings about lawyers, developers and agents have been around for many years.
I have been active in numerous property forums since 1997 – I published the first edition of my book in 2004 and my website in 2005.
The Cyprus Property Action Group was established in 2007 along with its website.
Reports on the problems have appeared on several TV programmes over the years and there have been numerous reports in the papers.
Questions have been raised in the House of Commons, House of Lords and the European Parliament.
The Foreign Office has been providing information and advice on its website for as long as I can remember.
All this information has been available for years, but there are still people around who are being duped and misled. Research is key to a successful purchase.
Another point I’d like to make is concerning the comment by the Foreign Office that British national get into difficulty as a result of not fully researching before they buy. How insulting and condescending can they be!
Many of us ‘got into difficulty’ because we were lied to by Cypriot lawyers, banks and developers. We expected that organisations governed by Cypriot and EU consumer laws should be trustworthy. We heard no warnings from the Foreign Office about the dangers of buying in Cyprus!! They have only recently got off their backsides because of the pressure put on them by groups like ours. The damn cheek of them.
I will yet again be protesting outside the property exhibition at Earls Court this weekend 31 March and 1st April. We were enormously successful at our previous protests at Earls Court and the NEC last year when we made contact with hundreds of potentials buyers of property in Cyprus. Most were completely unaware of the problems with the Cypriot property market. We also had some ‘confrontations’ with developers and agents who also seemed blissfully unaware of those same problems.
A year later I still find comments on websites that say to potential buyers “our land registry is one of the most efficient in the world” and “buying in Cyprus offers you so much more protection than in other parts of the Mediterranean”. While these oustandingly inaccurate comments are still being made then I and others will continue to protest to make unsuspecting buyers more informed.
We will also confront the agents and developers who try to airbrush all the very real difficulties out of the property market in Cyprus. These people need to understand that unless they join in our movement to get the truth out into the open then we will continue to let the public know just what risks they may be taken. They have been warned ! I’ll let you know how this weekend’s protest goes early next week.
The Island of Cyprus is infected with a disease called fraud. The humane thing would be to quarantine it until the infection is cured, that`s if a cure can be found. Cancer has been researched for years to limited success without side effects.
People should ask this Stelios – does he believe fraud has been committed when hundreds or possibly thousands of POA were signed in people’s homes then supposedly signed and witnessed in Cyprus?
Ask him if it’s true the level of fraud is bad in Cyprus, but seems to be accepted.
Ask him if the justice system over there is Really like ours?
Ask him, what is the average wait for your title deeds?
Ask him, is it true some Brits over there are charged more for taxes than there Cypriot neighbours?
Ask him, has he heard of euro MPs questioning Cypriot authority’s on the islands fraudulent activities ?
Ask him, what his thoughts are on the recent BBCs tv show called £500 million property fraud in Paphos.
Ask him, is it true the Cypriot Bar never really acts or comes down hard on there own lawyers, when problems occur?
Ask him, is it true Brits have had there property’s resold even after they have paid for it ? Apparently this is not illegal.
Ask him, has he heard of Brits being beat up by developers and getting off very lightly in court?
Ask him , has he heard of questions being asked in the house of commons regarding fraud in Cyprus.
Will these Foreign Office Experts, advise people. “In all cases, only consider buying property with full, immediate and genuine Title Deeds, End of Story.”
The buying advice in Cyprus is simple. Do not buy a new build property in Cyprus unless you receive Full Title Deeds at the point of sale. Failure to adhere to this advice will result in the buyer joining the 130,000 who still have no title deeds.
F.A.Q are title deeds available on new build property in Cyprus?
ANSWER In most instances, no they are not.
Will my lawyer advise me of this?
ANSWER probably not
Will my lawyer tell me about developer mortgages?
ANSWER. You must be joking.
We did the research and revised the contract before eventually signing with our developer.
It did not even occur to us at the time that our so called Advocate would not register our contract until after the developer took out his mortgage.
Take absolutely NOTHING for granted.