Cyprus Property Forum for Buyers, Sellers & Investors

Having been in our property for over 7 years we have still not received the Completion Certificate. Our developer applied for a permit to divide the plot in Dec. 2009. During the latter part of last year I visited the Town Planning and was told by the lady dealing with our area that she was still waiting for the file to be returned to her from the various departments. In late Jan this year again I visited her and she said she now had the file back (I actually saw it) and she was checking it and it would be ready within 10 days. Yesterday, 5 weeks after my Jan. visit I went to see her again and she said that her boss needed to sign this permit which would be about 3/4 days. 5 weeks to check that all the necessary signatures are on a document seems gross inefficiency to me. My developer also says that a Completion Certificate cannot be applied for until they have the division permit. Is this right?
Gill

Gross inefficiency is somewhat of an understatement, there isn't a word in the Greek language that expresses the urgency of the Spanish word mañana.

The Planning Authority inspects the property to ensure it complies with the planning & building permits issued for its construction. If all is OK, it will issue a Certificate of Final Completion.

Once that has been done, the developer applies for a Division Permit to subdivide the land into individual plots - this is done by the Land Registry.

You can read more about this and the time it takes on my website at http://www.cyprus-property-buyers.com/law/planning.htm

I have gone through this process myself recently (although my plot didn't need to be subdivided):

• Property inspected & Certificate of Final Completion issued along with two invoices to be paid at my Community Office & returned to the Planning Department with signatures confirming payment.
  
  Went to Community Office to pay - Mukhtar had to visit to confirm I had a pavement before I could pay invoices (about €20).
  
  Mukhtar visited - all OK. I went to Community Office, paid invoices and collected signed invoices.
  
  Returned to Planning Office with invoices.
  
  Planning Office presented me with a pack of papers that I had to take to the District surveyor (in the Land Registry).
  
  Went to Land Registry will all the papers provided - they wanted some other documents as well (earlier plans that had been superseded).
  
  Collected required plans from my architect and went with my wife (property in joint names) to Land Registry - taking passports to confirm identity.
  
  Land Registry clerk accepted documents and helped my complete a letter requesting our property to be added to the Title Deed and gave me the file reference number.
  
  A couple of weeks later, two surveyors from the Land Registry turned up (one of whom was English) and proceeded to survey and measure the outside of our house and garage block.
  
  Surveyor said that everything was OK and that we would get our updated Title Deed in a couple of months.

I'm still waiting. I took delivery of the property in 2004 and have had the Title Deed to the land since 1996.

Regards,

Gill wrote:Having been in our property for over 7 years we have still not received the Completion Certificate. Our developer applied for a permit to divide the plot in Dec. 2009. During the latter part of last year I visited the Town Planning and was told by the lady dealing with our area that she was still waiting for the file to be returned to her from the various departments. In late Jan this year again I visited her and she said she now had the file back (I actually saw it) and she was checking it and it would be ready within 10 days. Yesterday, 5 weeks after my Jan. visit I went to see her again and she said that her boss needed to sign this permit which would be about 3/4 days. 5 weeks to check that all the necessary signatures are on a document seems gross inefficiency to me. My developer also says that a Completion Certificate cannot be applied for until they have the division permit. Is this right?
Gill

Gill,

No, they need the final certificate first and then the developer makes apllication for the division permit. Not the other way around.

Pan

P.S. and 5 weeks is too @*#@* slow.

P.P.S Nigel there are some Greek words I can offer to describe this total incompetance, trust me.

Pantheman wrote:and 5 weeks is too @*#@* slow.

Maybe he's got writer's cramp through signing hundreds of documents each day

By the way - do you watch 'Patates' (sp)? I love the way the guy who does the sign language for the news shows someone sleeping whenever the civil service is mentioned.

Cheers,