Property Ownership Problems?
Support Group Launches New Website
If you’ve bought a property and have problems in dealing with your developer or an unfamiliar legal system, knowing what to do can seem like an uphill struggle. Thanks to the Property in Cyprus Action Support group (PICAS) advice and guidance is readily available – and it’s free! In addition to regular monthly meetings at the Dhekelia Leisure Resort, information from PICAS can now be accessed on a new website: http://www.picas-cyprus.com/
The Group’s mission statement is a clarion call to anyone needing help:
‘If you have a problem related to property ownership in Cyprus, we can offer access to reliable, qualified information and advice to help you find a solution in a friendly, safe and confidential environment’.
Formed in October 2010, PICAS is the brainchild of two members of the Cyprus Eastern Owners & Buyers Forum, an online community where people ‘talk’ about their experiences of buying property and living in Eastern Cyprus. ‘Cyprussmoothie’ and ‘Baileyboy’ (to quote their Forum usernames) believed that those in distress needed personal support and freedom to share their problems with others in a safe, secure and confidential setting.
It was clear from the outset that many property buyers in Eastern Cyprus feel isolated, alone and abandoned in their efforts to resolve a bewildering range of problems – from securing their Title Deeds to dealing with ‘rogue’ developers and lawyers to navigating a path through a slow-moving and complex official bureaucracy.
Meetings have also dealt with non-property issues such as Pensions and new rules for passport applications.
The monthly meetings are attended by members of the PICAS Advisory Panel, which include: Stelios Stylianou, a respected lawyer from Nicosia; Nigel Howarth, an independent property advisor, and Steve, the owner of the Cyprus Eastern & Buyers Forum. Guests have included the British Vice-Consul in Cyprus.
‘Cyprussmoothie’ is passionate about what PICAS has achieved. She says: “Buying a property in Cyprus should be a dream come true – but for too many people it has turned sour. The message to anyone struggling to cope with the pressure and uncertainty is that they are not alone – support and guidance is available whether you are in Cyprus or living abroad. Join our meetings if you can – or become part of the PICAS family through our website. Our aim is to make living in Cyprus a positive experience – after all, this is our home”.
PICAS meetings are held on the last Wednesday of the month at the Dhekelia Leisure Resort in Larnaca, starting promptly at 14:30. A schedule of planned meetings and directions to the venue can be found on the PICAS website.
The initiative is excellent.
It’s still early days and there is a long journey ahead – but I’m confident in time we will – with persistence, fairness and action – get to where we should be.
I’d be interested to see if anyone in PICAS has connections with Euro MEPs and the management of the banks. Those 2 groups I’m sensing are the where the majority of the influence may lie. One helping to regulate and enforce the laws around property in Cyprus – and the other holding the purse strings and partly accountable for the ballooning debt and mortgages in CHF crises.