Republic of Cyprus authorities are tightening their grip on the management of Turkish Cypriot properties, with a new bill aiming to improve transparency and fairness in allocation.
The move comes after checks on two-thirds of commercially rented Turkish Cypriot properties revealed that 416 contracts breached the agreements.
The government has begun procedures to recover these properties.
New allocation criteria
Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou outlined a revamped system based on objective criteria. This includes a scoring system for residential properties that considers an applicant’s socio-economic background, family size, and property ownership in both government-controlled and Turkish-occupied areas.
Heredity rights for existing residential licenses will also be introduced.
Commercial properties
For commercial properties, the new system prioritises tenants who will directly benefit from the business activity on the premises.
Factors like family composition and professional expertise relevant to the proposed business will also be considered.
Significantly, the new bill proposes removing inheritance rights for commercial properties, a move seen as addressing a long-standing inequity within the refugee community.
Ioannou stressed the importance of clear criteria to ensure transparency and fairness in the allocation process.
The Minister explained that these changes were proposed after analysing the data available to the Ministry, with the overarching aim of reforming the system of allocating Turkish Cypriot properties and making it more rational and equitable.
In the same context, he mentioned that measures have been implemented since last August to control the management of properties.
He added that checks have been conducted on 3,211 rental contracts for commercial use, representing two-thirds of the market, and out of these, 416 contracts were found to have been violated.
The government’s goal, he said, is to correct the shortcomings of decades past and to end the exploitation and lack of transparency.
He believes this will benefit genuine refugees who were displaced from their homes.
The bill follows consultations with political parties and refugee groups, with their input shaping the final proposals.
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