Cyprus Property – Title Deed Event in the South

5Ws and 1H planNigel Howarth of Cyprus Property News fame has organised a ‘Title Deed Event’ in the south, at the Technopolis 20 Cultural Centre in Paphos, which aims to focus on the government’s efforts to release blocked title deeds.

Apparently, the event has ‘sold out’ and there are now no seats available for the 4th December 2014 lecture by Andreas Symeou, former senior officer with the Department of Lands and Surveys. The lecture is entitled, ‘The Title Deeds Problem: Efforts for accelerating their issuing and complications because of the economic crisis.’ After the lecture there will be an open discussion on the issues faced in obtaining deeds for property purchased in the south and how to deal with them.

For those who remember the events in 2005 which led to the foundation by the north’s government of the useless Property Complaints Office (PCO) in April 2007, you will be interested to know that, as happened then, confidential questionnaires will be handed out and the information collected will be used to formulate proposals to solve the problem and which will be put to the south’s government. However, the true effectiveness of the Home Buyers Pressure Group (HBPG) in September 2005¹ came from a threat to protest outside the north’s parliament buildings. Unfortunately the government of the time were let off the hook when they set up the time wasting Property Complaints Office which collected several hundred complaints which were then ignored and the office eventually closed down via being downgraded to the Property Information Office.

Nigel Howarth is reported as saying that he believes ‘hidden mortgages’ are the key issue that the government must address.

“A number of property development companies have already gone into liquidation as a result of the economic meltdown and collapse of the property market. Liquidators, acting on behalf of the banks, have ‘requested’ those who have purchased property from those developers to pay a ‘contribution’ towards repaying the developer’s debt.”

He also said that one of island’s banks was being particularly aggressive in approaching purchasers demanding money in exchange for the bank dropping any claim they might have on a property, an action Howarth calls ‘legalised extortion’.

“These people have already paid for their homes in full and the problem is totally due to the banks’ mismanagement; why should these people be expected to pay for the banks’ incompetence in running their businesses? While opposition parties play political games in parliament by delaying the implementation of the long-awaited foreclosures law, the banks are trying to grab every penny they can get from these vulnerable people.”

I hope that the event leads to more success than the useless PCO, and that the event’s organisers pin the government down to a ‘5W and a 1H plan‘. Without the government stating Who will do What and Why and Where and When this will happen and How it will be undertaken their response to complaints cannot be monitored and nothing will get done, I believe.

Source

¹ http://www.north-cyprus-property.org/home_buyers_pressure_group.htm

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11 comments to Cyprus Property – Title Deed Event in the South

  • Cyprus Sue

    Nigel Howarth has done some really good work for property victims in the ROC. He has successfully managed to keep the media, public and Governments world-wide informed of the many property scams occurring in the ROC. I’m not sure how much success he has had, probably more in relation to preventing prospective buyers from being caught out rather than success in law change or justice.

    Most of the scams are of the same nature as those that have been committed in the north. Neither side of the island has effectively dealt with this ongoing issue. One would surmise that with ROC being in the EU they would have had more success in dealing with this problem but sadly this has not been the case. Even with the input of the Troika and their demand that targets are met for the issue of title deeds and that the issue of Non-performing Loans is addressed, there has been little movement. At a guess those that have fully paid for their developer mortgaged property will be the ones the banks go after rather than the developer. Fully sanctioned by the ROC Government of course! All these delays are occurring for one reason only…………to give the guilty time to shift their money.

  • Polly Marples

    Absolutely Sue, Nigel is a fighter for the rights of property victims and like Pauline in the north he has also been targeted and threatened with Libel writs. Of course Pauline did actually receive Libel Writs.

    It seems the truth both sides of the border is something the powers that be do not want exposed.

    Shortly we shall have the Kyrenia District Court’s verdict on the K5 case. Does anyone really believe a judge who has found against them 5 times when applying for an injunction to stop the bank selling their homes before the final outcome is known, is going to find in their favour?

    Appeal court next.

  • fluter

    Well, I must be missing a few brain cells (cue Milt the Greek), but I thought that the Judge (?) had already found in favour of a certain bank?

  • Polly Marples

    He did on 5 occasions with regard to the Interim Injunction.

    As far as I am aware, we are still awaiting his decision …the final outcome in the District court but this can be Appealed in the High Court, so it could be the almost final outcome.

  • fluter

    I really can’t see him deciding against the $%&/( Bank, can you?

    Hope the appeal is all ready to go.

  • Polly Marples

    Yes it is fluter.

    Also ECHR still very much on the cards

  • cyprusishome

    Why can’t people just say it, AKFINANS BANK. They have destroyed the lives of people and nobody in authority seems to care. In the past I would have said the antics surrounding this case would have been something you would see in Southern Italy!!!!

    Does it take many brain cells to work out why a judge can make several decisions that are all over turned in a higher court and he remains on the case?????

    Is anyone prepared to take bets on what his decision will be this time????

  • Polly Marples

    Not even AS STRAIGHT FORWARD as that CIH, on one occasion the High Court sent it back to be heard again by the lower court and then Judge Usar was appointed to re hear it.

    Applications for Interim Injunction.

    1. Turned down by Judge Beril
    2. Appeal court sent it back to the lower court to be heard again by Judge Usar this time.

    Then Usar found against the application for interim injunction 5 times in various hearing and emergency applications.

    It was then heard again on Appeal and by a majority of 2 to 1 the High Judges gave the interim injunction.

    Then Usar threw out the K5 because of a misunderstanding on a hearing date which K5 were unaware of.

    Then Usar reinstated the case AND the interim injunction.

    This takes us to where they are now awaiting the final decision of the main case from Judge Usar, which will inevitably go to Appeal no matter who he finds for.

    How the main case was allowed to be heard by the same Judge remains a mystery.

    It took from August 2011 to Sept 2012 to achieve an Appeal date and the decision from that Appeal was given February 2013 when the Interim Injunction was finally given.

  • Polly Marples

    http://northcyprusfreepress.com/law/kulaksiz-5-judges-decisions-akfinans-bank-are-innocent-the-north-cyprus-property-victims-are-to-blame/comment-page-2/

  • fluter

    “Then Usar threw out the K5 because of a misunderstanding on a hearing date”.

    Polly, if that was a misunderstanding then I am the King of Siam!

  • Polly Marples

    You may say that, Pauline could not possibly comment on it, well not until it is all over, then comes the shouting.