Saturday 20 September 2014

Those summer nights

September is almost gone and the most beautiful time of the year in Cyprus is upon us, in my opinion. Warm, sunny days and lovely cool(er) nights - no Aircon on in the bedroom and recently no fan either. Sheet bliss ...

Even more exciting was the fact that we had about fifteen minutes of proper rain yesterday, and what a difference to our pot plants. For all the love and care and water lavished on them by Ann, proper water from the heavens made them sit up and bloom. Jim, our friend from Prodromi (who was born with green fingers, I suspect), gave us a lovely plant which has grown well and comes up with gorgeous purple flowers in the morning. The flowers last a day, and you hope for more to grow overnight. Ann took a cutting in true Cypriot fashion, which is to cut a bit off, pop it into a pot full of compost and water it. Within a few weeks it is established and producing its own flowers. 

Interesting information about tenancy agreements in Cyprus and registering for tax, which will have to be included in my book. It appears that tenants should get their tenancy agreements stamped withing forty-eight hours of the agreement coming into force. This makes the document "legal" and also is obligatory when tenants go to register for tax here. Owners show their title deeds or their contract of sale. If the tenant does not have the appropriate stamp on their agreement (a cost of €2,00 from the Post Office) when they register for tax, then they are fined and charged a percentage of the rent they have paid since the agreement came into force.

This is a recent change in Cyprus, as far as I can tell, and is a way of the government making sure that the landlords pay tax on the rent they are receiving. If your landlord is paying tax, or intends to, then there will be no problem. But, for those in the black economy, this might be problematic. As all foreign residents need to register for tax after 183 days in Cyprus, then it might be a good idea to discuss this with any prospective landlord. I discussed this with a knowledgeable estate agent in Polis, and he had heard something about it but did not yet know the details. Hopefully by the publication of my book, all the details will be to hand.

No comments:

Post a Comment