A Look at Buying Property in Northern Cyprus

If you are considering buying some property overseas in Northern Cyprus it is a good idea to first consider the current political climate on the island of Cyprus. There are mixed feelings between Northern Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus in regards to who owns the land in Northern Cyprus and who has the rights to sell the land. There was a political agreement that could affect land and property ownership in Northern Cyprus as that land was originally Greek Cypriot land and property. So, with that in mind you should buy land and property in Northern Cyprus with caution and ensure that if you buy property or land in Northern Cyprus that you have and will continue to have full legal ownership of the property or land.

A good way to see if you will be able to have full legal ownership of property or land in Northern Cyprus is to check the title deed of the land or property before buying it. When the Greek Cypriots were forced from there homes in Northern Cyprus the properties were taken over by the Turkish authorities. The Turkish authorities then used the properties to house Turkish settlers and Turkish Cypriot refugees after the invasion of 1974.

The reason that it is so important that you make absolutely certain that the land or property that you are purchasing has a clear and free title deed is in case of reunification. If the island of Cyprus is reunited and the land or property that you have was someone else's then they would have the right of ownership and could reclaim the property or land right out from under you.

You should have the title deed looked at by an independent lawyer before you make your purchase. You should also go to the Lands Office in North Nicosia and ask to see the title deed yourself to verify it. There are only three possibilities when it comes to the title deed: it will have no title deed, it will have a deed with TRNC and a number or it will only have a number on the deed.

If the title deed has TRNC before the number you might not want to go through with that purchase. TRNC denotes that the property or land was that or a Greek Cypriot before 1974.

If there is no title deed you should know that it is illegal to purchase property with no title deed in Cyrpus and Northern Cyprus.

A title deed with just a number on it is a clean title deed. This is the only type of totally secure deed. Unfortunately they are almost impossible to find.

If you do find a place that you want to buy you will need to have a lawyer draw up a sales contract. It will be in Turkish. You will need to pay a 10 percent deposit when you sign the contract. Then your lawyer applies to the Ministry of the Interior for you to get permission to buy the property. That can take several months. Once it is approved you will have to pay the remaining balance.