Our top 10 news stories and articles of 2023

Cyprus Property News welcomed just under 900,000 visitors over the past year and, as we approach Christmas and the New Year, here are the top 10 articles and news reports that have attracted the most interest from you, our readers, over the past twelve months.

Here are our most popular top 10 news stories and articles of 2023 in reverse order:

10. Female lawyer struck off the roll – A female lawyer (who was not named) was struck off the role by the Cyprus Bar Association’s Disciplinary Board following a hearing that found her guilty of professional misconduct.

(By failing to publish the name of the ‘female lawyer’ the Cyprus Bar Association throws the public’s suspicion on all female lawyers in Cyprus, which could potentially damage their reputation and their businesses.)

9. EU regulations could make or break real estate sector – The European Parliament passed a new bill that aims to tackle climate change by reducing carbon emissions.

This new legislation has significant implications and costs for the Cyprus real estate market, where there is a large stock of buildings that are over 30 years old and require energy upgrades.

8. Looking ahead to 2023: House prices in Cyprus – In this article, Pavlos Louizou MRICS VRS considered the factors that will affect house prices in Cyprus in 2023 given inflationary pressures and other factors including Russia’s war in Ukraine.

7. New Jointly-Owned Buildings law approved – A new jointly-owned building law was approved by the Council of Ministers that aimed to resolve the problems with Management Committees including owners who refuse to pay their communal fees.

The draft bill has now been passed to parliament where MPs discussing and considering proposed amendments.

6. Cyprus’ swimming pool saga continues – The long-running problem with the laws and regulations relating to swimming pools continue to damage tourism and the Cyprus property market.

5. Swimming pool legislation upgrade – It seems that a new bill is expected that will (hopefully) resolve many of the problems is on its way. Legal services is currently reviewing the new bill that will categorise swimming pools into three distinct groups. (However, it’s unclear how the laws and regulations will change for pools serving apartments and other building complexes where owners share the use of a ‘public’ pool.)

4. How to get a license to rent your property – a new law was introduced in 2020 requiring those wishing to rent their property as self-catering accommodation and short-term holiday rentals to obtain a license. This article describes the process by which owners can apply for a licence to rent their property.

The top 3 of my top 10 stories and articles

As most of my readers are UK nationals, it’s not surprising that the top 3 stories of my top 10 all relate to the impact of Brexit on Brits and other non-EU nationals wishing to live and/or retire to Cyprus.

3. Cyprus permanent residency rules revised – Details of the investment needed and the annual income emanating from abroad and other ‘quality criteria’ that non-EU citizens and their dependents require to get the right to reside in Cyprus permanently.

2. Cyprus raises bar for expat retirees – Changes that came into effect on 2nd May 2023, tightened the criteria for obtaining residency permits, which included a hefty increase of 66% on the assured annual income an expat retiree must have to apply for the fast-track procedure.

1. Brexit shatters retirement dreams – ‘Taking back control’ was one of the well-known slogans used by Brexiteers. It claimed that Britain’s sovereignty, its ability to make its own laws and control its borders had been eroded by its membership of the EU and that these would return after Brexit.

But Brexiteers didn’t warn Brits that ‘taking back control’ works both ways enabling EU member states to control their borders.

Music video of the year

This year I’ve chosen a video of “Imagine”, which was written by the late John Lennon and recorded on his 1971 album of the same name.

This version is performed by the American acapella group ‘Pentatonix’ that was formed in 2011 and who featured in my 2019 music video of the year.

The lyrics encourage listeners to imagine a world of peace, tolerance and respect, without materialism, without borders separating nations, and without religion.

May I take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas
and a Happy and Healthy 2024.