Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou on Thursday highlighted “significant improvements” in the examination and issuance of property title deeds, which, according to him, will help reducing the average processing time to three months from the previous one to three years.
Addressing a seminar organised by the Pan-Cyprian Association of Land Development and Construction Entrepreneurs, Ioannou underlined the government’s commitment to fostering conditions conducive to development, a pledge declared since June 2023.
The efforts to shorten the time needed to grant title deeds to property owners involve the simplification of procedures both at the department of land and surveys and at the department of town planning and housing.
Ioannou also stressed ongoing efforts to streamline urban and spatial planning, facilitating expedited citizen service and bolstering development prospects.
Acknowledging past delays in completing title deeds processes, Ioannou outlined objectives to institute more flexible and expeditious procedures, eliminating unnecessary delays and inconveniences.
“We recognise that significant delays in many instances regarding the completion of title issuance processes affected people,” he told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).
“Our goal is to introduce more flexible and faster procedures.”
One of the key changes proposed to enhance and expedite the issuance of title deeds is the new procedure concerning applications for parcel division to create new property titles.
The change, which was effectively implemented on January 2, 2024, prioritises pre-defined external demarcation and surveying work for developments, ensuring that all applications are submitted fully and correctly completed for expedited evaluation without the constant need for additional documentation from applicants.
Ioannou also highlighted the pre-defined completion of external demarcation before parcel division, “which will ensure that future developments align within the real boundaries of the properties’ plots, avoiding interventions in neighbouring properties, a frequent point of contention among property owners.”
Additionally, Ioannou noted recent measures undertaken by the department of land and surveys, including the implementation of the private licensed surveyor institution as the sole option for conducting required surveying work for parcel division.
“This enables people to engage directly with their chosen private surveyor for completing surveying tasks, relieving departmental personnel from these duties to undertake other responsibilities and reducing significant delays,” Ioannou explained.
“With these changes, I am sure property owners will face a substantial reduction in the overall processing time for applications and, ultimately, the issuance of title deeds,” he concluded.