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19th March 2024
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Cyprus property valuations now online

property-valuesAS PART of Cyprus’ bailout agreement with the troika, Cyprus completed the revaluation of some half a million properties in June. Although it was planned that Immovable Property Tax for 2014 would be levied based on the up-to-date values, the draft bill was wrecked.

This article has been superseded by ‘Online Property Valuations Revisited

However, the revised property valuations are now available on-line at the Department of Lands and Surveys website. To find the up-to-date valuation for your property you will need to have either (i) its Title Deed or (ii) information about its location provided by your developer/vendor.

Proceed as follows:

  • Visit the home page of the Department of Lands and Surveys website.
  • Click on the “Navigate to a Parcel” link in the body of the page.(You may be presented with a ‘Terms of Use‘ page. If so, read the terms of use, select the checkbox “I agree with the above Terms of Use” to accept the terms and press the “Continue” button.)
  • Click on the Greek or English flag depending on your language preference and you will be taken to the Parcel Search page.
  • Follow the numbered steps shown in the red circles:

1. Click on Select area and hover your mouse over the District in which the property is located and select the Municipality/Village and the Quarter (if any) from the fly-out menu.

2. Click on the Advanced tab and use the drop-down menus to select the Sheet, Plan, Block and Parcel. (Refer to this diagram to see where to find the relevant fields on your Title Deed.)

(Note, if you have an ‘old’ white Title Deed, some of these fields may be in Roman numerals – convert there to Arabic numerals. E.g. XIII converts to 13.)

  • Once you have completed the five fields under the Advanced tab, click the OK button. The selected parcel should appear on the screen.
  • Finally, on the right-hand side of the screen click Valuation and the 2013 Registration value should be displayed.

Note. the website uses Microsoft Silverlight and on your first visit you may be prompted to install it and restart your web browser.

Note. The geographic data of the Department of Lands and Surveys, compared to the information provided on the maps and/or the satellite images provided by “Google Earth” and “Google Map”, are possibly different, due to different geographic projections. A maximum deviation of about 5 meters has been observed. This issue is being followed up closely in collaboration with the company and will hopefully be resolved soon.

Further reading

Further instructions may be found in the Parcel Search Application Instructions (published by the Cyprus Department of Lands and Surveys)

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42 COMMENTS

  1. Nigel, IPT. Many thanks for your very clear/excellent article on Property valuations. Easily found what I wanted on government site – following your instructions. Very happy and thank you.

  2. Thanks Nigel your response has prompted a few more questions. Will my 2014 IPT Demand therefore now include 1980 and 2013 valuations for my property. As stared earlier my search for my property for 2013 valuation only shows the Developers parcel of land that covers the whole development, which is around 100 properties. Nothing yet to cover the individual properties.

    Is it right to assume this will be added once the Developer has provided the information that you listed in your response? Without knowing the 2013 valuation I won’t be able to appeal if I feel that the valuation is excessive. Is there also a mechanism to query/appeal against the 1980 valuation if that is also deemed to be excessive?

    • @Pine-needle on 2014/08/06 at 1:19 pm – I don’t know what information the IPT notices will have on them – we’ll have to wait until the Inland Revenue Departments starts issuing them

      The reason why your search only showed the whole estate is because the land has yet to be sub-divided into individual plots. The information that your developer will supply to the Land Registry will enable the Land Registry to assess the 1980 value of the property you purchased.

      You will not be able to appeal the 3013 valuation until it has been assessed by the Land Registry – and Title to the property has been registered in your name – and I suspect the same is true of the 1980 valuation.

      At the moment it isn’t certain that you will actually receive an IPT notice – the article Title Deed fiasco haunts IPT collection explains the problem. It’s still unclear as to whether TPTB can co anything about this.

  3. We own a property built by Aristo but don’t have the Title Deeds. When I search for the parcel it shows approximately half of our whole development and a valuation of around £15m. I don’t know if it’s then possible to drill down and get individual property valuations, have tried without success. Secondly as the 2014 IPT will be charged at 1980 property valuation rates, how do we know what value is being used for our properties for this purpose?

    • @Pine-needle on 2014/08/05 at 3:21 pm – Until the Title Deeds have been issued and you have paid the Property Transfer Fees, you do not own the property you purchased, you merely have a claim on ownership by virtue of having deposited your contract of sale with the Land Registry.

      The property is currently owned by your developer.

      This year property developers are required to provide the authorities details of properties they have sold and which have yet to be transferred to their purchasers:

      (a) The distinctive features of the sold unit building,
      (b) the name and address of the purchaser or transferee or beneficiary of the construction unit,
      (c) the date of sale or assignment document
      (d) the date of completion of the building,
      (e) the date of delivery of possession of the building unit sold to the purchaser or transferee,
      (f) the percentage of the total area of the building and the land attributable to the unsold.

      This will enable the Land Registry to assess the 1980 value of the property in question and the Inland Revenue can then issue an IPT notice to the purchaser.

      If your developer pays the IPT for the property you purchased and asks you to refund the company, follow the advice in my article Refunding developers’ Immovable Property Tax.

  4. Comments to date do not address effect on 2015 IPT payments of revalued prices based on estimated tax rates proposed for 2014 but now postponed.

    Based on our new revaluation and likely tax rate previously suggested of approx. 0.09 – 0.1%, our 2015 IPT will be double that we have just paid this year (with 15% discount !)

    I think this is something that needs watching carefully if the counter-balancing from all those extra taxes from the 300,000 extra payees next year(!) is to be achieved by those previously paying.

    Who will/can do this challenging role ?

  5. Nigel, Many thanks for this information. If I take the value in CYP£ that I paid (and the DLO accepted as the value for PTT (2006) for my property and then changed to Euro at the rate of circa €1.71, I get close to the equivalent value I paid at the time. However, since then on average property prices have dropped (lets say by 25% and use a rough figure from RICS data for confirmation). So in 2013, having lost by price reductions of almost one quarter, my DLO value is inflated somewhat compared to its actual realistic market value. The value paid converted to euro in just 2006 is remarkably close to the value they now claim.

    Would this be reasonable grounds for appeal and is there a model they have used to guesstimate the uplift?

    Thanks

  6. @Nigel – Is this valuation restricted to ones with the title deeds only? I’ve haven’t got a title deed but would look like to see the valuation of my property. Is this possible?

    • @sj on 2014/08/03 at 7:46 pm – The details you need to get the valuation may be listed in your contract of sale on on the plans attached. If you don’t have them, speak with the property developer.

  7. @Nigel – Thanks for the tip. I tried the instructions but anything I try makes no difference.

    I can see a figure of 3.887.600 is this 3 million Euro ? divided by the number of dwellings in the plot area? or some other figure ?

    It would appear to me that things are made deliberately complicated to confuse ….. On purpose so no one knows what is what without spending money on a solicitor to figure it out if they can…..

    I give up !

  8. @Josh,

    I had the same problems with boundaries. My villa is built 3 meters to the left side from where it should have been (as were several other houses on my estate). So there is the Google boundary and then the Land Registry boundary which are different.

    • @All – Regarding the ‘shifting’ of boundaries when the plot details are projected onto a Google Earth image:

      “The geographic data of the Department of Lands and Surveys, compared to the information provided on the maps and/or the satellite images provided by “Google Earth” and “Google Map”, are possibly different, due to different geographic projections. A maximum deviation of about 5 meters has been observed. This issue is being followed up closely in collaboration with the company and will hopefully be resolved soon.”

  9. Nigel

    Thanks for your endeavours, I followed the path to what I thought was my plot.
    1/ when I hover over the the select area (famagosta) the municipal village comes up (Sotira) but no sign of the area we are in at all?

    2/ If I put the plot number in the parcel search area it picks a random place, So I found another number in the paperwork put this in and it gives me 11 options. I manage to find a plot of 14 house’s which I recognise as just over half of the development. But I click on the valuation and it seems to change every time.

    I’m not having much success with this. Is it just me doing something wrong?

  10. Nigel,

    Many thanks for the info and I managed to access the site first time as well as check on the rest of our small development.

    The ‘simple’ tab produces almost the same information as the ‘advanced’ one.
    The actual location of the various plots (parcels) shown were all out by 50% and the plot sizes did not reflect the real situation.

    All of the parcels were listed as having 2 story buildings 8.3 meters high, whereas the majority of them are single story.

    We all have our deeds.

    It seems that it was a job done in a hurry to satisfy the Troika with speed at the expense of accuracy.

    • @Josh on 2014/08/02 at 5:22 pm – Pleased you managed to get through and find the information. A couple of things:

      The plot details, which show the coverage, height etc., are what the planners will allow you to build, not what’s actually been built.

      I notice that the Google images do not align with the plot boundaries for my property. I don’t think this is due to the speed at which the system was developed – it’s been around for quite a few years. It’s just the values that have been included.

  11. @ Nigel Howarth

    I have compared the value of one of my plots with a friend who has a slightly larger plot.

    There appears to be no logic applied to the valuations.

    My plot: 1069m2, 90% density and cover. Road access. All services. Clean title, no construction on it. Value: €34,200

    Other: 1329m2, 60% density, 35% cover. Value €95,200. Services, access. This plot also has the blight of 2 mortgages taken out on it by the bankrupt vendor after the contract was lodged with LR. The deeds have been unavailable for 23 yrs. The beneficial owner has 2 caravans on it as lawyer told her not to construct on the plot in case the banks foreclosed. Would this very high valuation have something to do with outstanding loans on the land? Any action friend can take to appeal valuation?

    • @Rosemarie Delaney on 2014/08/01 at 7:13 pm – As I’m not a valuer, I cannot say what parameters the Land Registry used to assess the 2013 value (but I have to say that your plot at €34,200 seems to be undervalued).

      You can contest the valuation if you wish. I am not sure you go about this at present (I’m on holiday in the UK). The fees to challenge the 2013 values are as follows:

      For properties valued up to €100,000 – €37.50.
      For properties valued between €100,001 and €500,000 – €75.00.
      For properties valued between €500,001 and €1,000,000 – €150.00.
      For properties valued at more than €1,000,000 – €357.00.

  12. Nigel,

    I understand what you’re saying, but with taxable earnings all taxpayers have a tax-free allowance, not just some. “Council Rates” based on the value of property, which is what this tax is, notwithstanding the money goes to the Government. There is no tax-free allowance for those who have to pay “Rates”, where the total value of the house is used.

    The result in my village is that the expats will pay as they occupy newly built homes and the village houses occupied by Greek Cypriots are all exempted.

    This must amount to indirect discrimination?

    • @Peter Davis on 2014/07/31 at 9:40 pm – One of the problems is that there is no equivalent to Immovable Property Tax in the UK and we have no concept of it.

      You could also think of it as a ‘mansion tax’ that was being discussed in the UK where owners of property valued in excess of £2 million would pay.

      It isn’t only Cypriots who are exempted from paying IPT, many holiday home owners will also be exempted as the 1980 value of their property falls below €12,500 (or €25,000 if purchased by a couple).

  13. Hi Nigel

    Thanks for Site link, this worked fine, but the parcel they are showing is ours and our next door neighbour, so how is this sorted out ?

    Another thing I’m unsure about, Are we receiving bills this year ?? Or is it a long wait down the tax office again.

    Is the IPT calculated on the site information they are showing now, or the same valuation as last year?

    I still find this unfair as we have a modest house, no pool, nothing fancy and we still paid 4 times what our friends did last year who have double size of plot, larger houses and pools/ garages etc

    Because they were only a field in 1980, they are all still paid IPT on that. One field, no buildings, so they will once again get away with it, minimum or no payment at all. I’m not talking about one person here either in our village, I’m talking a lot. I only found one other expat who had to pay.

    Surely a more recent picture of google earth or some other satellite mapping service would bring up all these non existing houses and pools

    Sorry to moan

    But I think all should be paying their fair wack and possibly we all get the tax lowered again

    • Samantha on 2014/07/31 at 5:52 pm – As for two properties being shown on the parcel, you may have an option under the image to select the one you’re interested in. The guide that you can download and print contains further detailed instructions.

      Hopefully the properties that were not picked up last year were discovered by the Land Registry which identified some 300,000 ‘new’ properties.

      You shouldn’t have to visit the Inland Revenue this year. Just complete an IPT return (one for each taxpayer) – more information at ‘Immovable Property Tax announcement

  14. Two things I don’t understand.

    1/ Why are some people exempt from paying anything (I think its over 50% of the population). Why is there no minimum payment required of say €50’s upwards.

    2/ Why does it cost more to appeal the valuation of a higher bracketed villa when it must involve the same amount of work.

    • Peter Davis on 2014/07/31 at 11:03 am – Some people are exempt from paying IPT because the value of their properties falls below the €12,500 at which this tax becomes payable. (The same way that Income Tax is assessed – there’s a tax free allowance.)

      There is some confusion about appealing the valuation. It could be the charge levied for appealing the IPT or for appealing the total value of properties registered in the tax payer’s name (which could involve several properties.)

  15. Thank you, Nigel, for very clear instructions about how to access the property values for 2013 online; it worked for me the first time.

    I was able to access the property values for all the properties on our development. I was staggered to find that in a case where there were 3 identical houses on plots of almost the same size the difference in value between the lowest and highest values was EUR37,100!

    As a result of the Lands and Surveys Department making 2013 value data widely available, I have no doubt that there will now be much criticism about how property values are calculated by the Department, and why the calculation is not made available to those who are legally obliged to pay the IPT.

    One fact is very clear to me: When a Certificate of Final Completion for a property has not been issued by the appropriate authority, the Department continues to calculate and assign a value to that property with the expectation that the registered owner should pay the IPT. This means that the true legal status of a property vis-a-vis compliance or otherwise with the planning and building laws and regulations is not taken into account when the Department calculates its value for IPT purposes.

    In a case of non-compliance with the planning and buiding laws and regulations, this is wrong. The provisions of the Town Planning Amnesty Law effectively reduce the value of a property by requiring the Title Deeds (when issued)to be endorsed with details of the impediment(s); and such endorsements effectively reduce the open market value of a property.

    How IPT can be charged against an illegal property seems illogical and inept, and I can only assume it is done to protect developers from investigation and prosecution. KD.

    • @kufrahdog on 2014/07/31 at 2:36 am – As you and I both know, ‘logic’ isn’t on the list of considerations used to make decisions by TPTB.

      I expect they would claim that as you are making use of the property IPT should be paid even though it has been constructed illegally.

      And you are acting illegally by living in it. (Article 10 of the Streets and Buildings Regulation Law, Cap 96 provides that no-one can occupy a building unless it has been issued with a Certificate of Final Approval and that to do so is a criminal offence).

      If IPT is demanded, perhaps you could claim that the state is trying to benefit from illegal activity? That should tie up the Supreme Court for a few years.

  16. The 2013 valuation info was displayed OK. Where are the percentage bands displayed. Where do you find the IPT demand (tax payable) figure.

    • @Andrew on 2014/07/30 at 3:22 pm – Following a typical screw-up from the government, the 2013 valuations will not be used as a basis for assessing Immovable Property Tax this year. We’ve (or rather the government) has turned the clock back a year and IPT will be calculated the same as last year using 1980 values. See Cyprus Immovable Property Tax 2014.

      And there are other issues that TPTB didn’t think about that have now hit the fan.

  17. May I also add here my sincere thanks to Nigel. Now you are a true communicator and if it was not for your instructions I would never have found the site. Thank you!

  18. Never, ever, ceases to amaze me how totally inept the country is run. Sorry to say but this is a website of a third world country. Its also a website that has been designed (and I use the work loosely ) not for the citizens benefit AT ALL.

    Explain to me why it is headlined “Parcel Search”? They could not have prefaced it with a message saying that this is the new tool to use for up-to-date evaluation of your land? And the fact that it has crashed after a few days operation…please don’t me me laugh out loud. When I think of the millions squandered elsewhere and when we have such talented communicators, website design and architects in this country.

    If this was in inside job they should all be sacked. I was unable to get past step one.

    • @EleniP on 2014/07/30 at 1:45 pm – I get around 5,000 visitors a day to Cyprus Property News – yet the Land Registry system collapsed after getting 6,000 visitors in 3 days.

      It does make you wonder!

  19. Hi Nigel,
    No probs accessing this morning and worked fine with Internet Explorer version 9. Title Deeds have not been issued for our development but I was able to see a 2013 valuation for the development as a whole. Not sure what ‘value’ there is in this for me but I was curious.
    Rgrds,
    Gary

  20. Many thanks Nigel, I had no problem in following your precise instructions and was able to identify the 2013 valuation. Your advice was really useful and I doubt I would have found it without your help.

  21. Further complications to those below. Severe problems experienced installing Mac apps.

    Cyprus government and IT/web don’t actually chime frightfully well together

    For those who must know, might well be quicker to go into the appropriate office with TD and ask for the Valuation there?

    But then, as we are again working on 1980 values this year, think I’ll just enjoy another free year and wait til they get around to sending it to me!

    Sounds like curiosity is currently killing the IPT cat!

      • All – from today’s incyprus

        A Department of Lands and Survey online tool to help property owners determine the value of their land or buildings for Immovable Property Tax (IMP) purposes was functioning again yesterday afternoon after becoming unavailable the previous day.

        Before crashing, the site had received visits from some 6,000 users since its data was uploaded on Friday, including three from the USA and six from Turkey.

        (So far more than 1,400 people have tried to access the “online tool” from this article.)

  22. So for us that have our title deeds, does anyone know if we will receive a new copy with the revised valuation amounts?
    Thanks

  23. Apart from the fact that you need to install the Microsoft Silverlight software to view it, and even then it doesn’t always work, the site has been overloaded since yesterday although it worked OK at the weekend.

    • @Martin Rodger on 2014/07/29 at 5:16 pm – It took me a couple of hours to get the details for my property this morning. It’s probably best to try late evening.

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