Management/Cleaners

[Don Juan]

Grateful for any advise that can be offered. This is a superb site.
Maybe I have just been unlucky however, I get the distinct impression the ex pats who live in Cyprus and start a cleaning/management service think we are mugs. Bought a property in Coral Bay last year and things were going well. The service we then got went slowly down hill, late invoices, unreceipted expenditure, and down right wrong invoicing to the point we geniunely felt wripped off. We have since found out that the ex pat service provider was actually charging us more than a villa much larger. Whilst I appreciate a lot of goodwill goes into this provision as we are a few thousand miles away we have been taken for mugs. We questioned their practices to be told none of their other clients find a problem...all I can say to this is, there are more mugs out there. I have also found out that they have lost a few contracts with other discruntled owners but they still have a few in tow. We did have, what I'd call a service level agreement, they called it a contract (it was not).
My questions are:
Is this indicative of what goes on? Are we the cash cow for the ex pat lifestyle?
Do these people have to register their business, declare tax etc? I suspect they are probably wripping off the tax man too. I would have thought they would have to at least register as a company..any ideas?

[Nigel Howarth]

Hello Don Juan and welcome to the forum.

Unfortunately, a lot of this sort of thing goes on - in many trades. Best to get yourself a reliable Cypriot company to do the job.

Are you part of a communal development?

Rgds,

[Don Juan]

Nigel,
Thanks for the reply. I am not part of a communal development. Are these con men/women legally obliged to register in any kind of way. Do I as the mug they are trying it on with have any legal come back on them. I feel very strongly about their whole attitude and would certainly not like to see anyone else get taking for a ride. It leaves a bad taste and risks tarring all ex-pats who set up these kind of services.