T/C Guardianship query - property southern Cyprus

[maddy86]

Hello,
Does anyone know anything about the process of confirming if a property is under Turkish Cypriot (T/C) Guardianship? We have inherited a property in Larnaca (we live in the UK) and, to our knowledge, it was not vacated due to the troubles in 1974. We are hoping to sell the property and have a buyer lined up but the ministry of interior are asking us for a vast amount of information (such as bills/electoral roll/certificate of ownerships pre 1974) which we are struggling to find or gain access to, if they even exist anymore! The Ministry have not confirmed if the property is under Guardianship and initial emails suggested it was unlikely. This has been going on for years and we are becoming very frustrated!

Can anyone help with the following;
1. Is it down to the current owner to prove it is NOT under Guardianship or should it fall to the Ministry to prove that it does?
2. Is there anyone we can go to if we feel we are being unduly questioned?
3. What is the quickest way to prove the history or ownership of a property and is it down to the current owner to provide this? Surely the ministry of interior have access to this information?!

All advice appreciated

Maddy

[Nigel Howarth]

Dear Maddy

Welcome to the forum. I can't help you with this and you'll need someone here to make enquiries on your behalf (a lawyer).

Do you have the Title Deed for the property? Or perhaps the Cypriot ID of the person from whom you inherited the property?

The Department of Lands & Surveys, which is part of the Interior Ministry, will have details of its owner (assuming the property can be identified.)

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office provides a list of English-speaking lawyers in Cyprus that you can find at In which country do you need a lawyer? and answer the questions.

Regards,