Your buyer has signed an off-plan sale contract in Limassol. Within what deadline should the contract be lodged at the Land Registry?

1. Six months from signature
2. Two months from signature
3. Before the building is finished
4. Within 30 days of the final payment

What does lodging the sale contract at the Land Registry give the buyer?

1. Immediate title deeds in the buyer's name
2. A refund of VAT
3. Exemption from transfer fees
4. A registered interest that stops the seller selling or mortgaging the unit to someone else

Which law lets a buyer sue for transfer of title once the sale contract has been lodged?

1. Law 71(I)/2010
2. The Sale of Land (Specific Performance) Law 81(I)/2011
3. Cap. 96, the Streets and Buildings Regulation Law
4. Cap. 109, the Aliens Law

What is the Land Registry filing fee to lodge a sale contract (October 2026)?

1. EUR 500
2. 1% of the price
3. EUR 50
4. Nothing, it is free

Since December 2023, what document must accompany every sale contract?

1. A Land Registry search certificate no more than five working days old
2. A bank valuation report
3. The building's certificate of final approval
4. A tax clearance from the buyer

Why is the Land Registry search certificate so important in an off-plan sale?

1. It proves the buyer's funds are clean
2. It sets the transfer fee
3. It replaces the building permit
4. It shows any mortgages or charges on the plot, such as a developer's bank loan

Your client asks if the developer must give a bank guarantee for her deposit and instalments. What is the correct answer in Cyprus?

1. Yes, by law for every off-plan sale
2. No, it is not compulsory, so her lawyer should negotiate one
3. Only for sales above EUR 500,000
4. Only if the buyer is non-EU

Off-plan units in Cyprus are typically sold with what kind of payment plan?

1. Full price at signature
2. Full price at handover
3. Staged payments tied to construction progress
4. Monthly rent until the title is issued

A developer has a planning permit but no building permit yet for a Larnaca project. What should a careful agent tell buyers?

1. Construction can legally start, the planning permit is enough
2. The project is illegal and cannot be marketed
3. The certificate of final approval comes first
4. Selling on a planning permit is common, but a building permit already issued is the safer position

Which document must the building authority grant for a finished building before separate title deeds can be issued?

1. The certificate of approval (final approval) under Cap. 96
2. The planning permit
3. The search certificate
4. The Cap. 109 permit

Once the developer files a complete division file with all approvals and bank consents, how long does the Land Registry aim to take to issue deeds?

1. About two years
2. About three months
3. About two weeks
4. About one year

What are 'trapped buyers' in Cyprus?

1. Buyers stuck in a mortgage with a variable rate
2. Non-EU buyers waiting for a Cap. 109 permit
3. Buyers who paid in full but cannot get title deeds, often due to the developer's mortgage or planning issues
4. Buyers who missed the VAT deadline

What did Law 110(I)/2025 do for trapped buyers?

1. It reopened 9,497 frozen applications for contracts lodged by 31 December 2014
2. It cancelled all developers' mortgages
3. It issued deeds to every buyer in Cyprus
4. It made bank guarantees compulsory

What is the standard VAT rate on a new home bought from a developer in Cyprus?

1. 5%
2. 9%
3. 0%
4. 19%

Under Law 42(I)/2023, which home can qualify for the reduced 5% VAT rate (new rules)?

1. An investor's second home of 150 sqm for EUR 400,000
2. A family's permanent home of 170 sqm for EUR 450,000
3. A permanent home of 200 sqm for EUR 340,000
4. A holiday flat of 80 sqm for EUR 200,000

A buyer purchases a new 110 sqm apartment for EUR 300,000 as her permanent home, and it fully qualifies for 5% VAT. How much VAT does she save compared with the 19% standard rate, in EUR?

Your buyer bought a new apartment and paid VAT on it. What Land Registry transfer fee is due on transfer?

1. Half the normal scale
2. 3% flat
3. None, no transfer fee is due when VAT was paid
4. 8% on the full value

A buyer purchases a resale apartment, not subject to VAT, at EUR 600,000. Using the halved bands (1.5% to 85,000, 2.5% from 85,001 to 170,000, 4% above), what is the transfer fee, in EUR?

A resale townhouse sells for EUR 150,000 with no VAT. Using the halved bands (1.5% up to 85,000, then 2.5% up to 170,000), what is the transfer fee, in EUR?

A buyer remembers paying stamp duty on a contract in 2024. What applies to a contract signed in 2026?

1. Stamp duty was abolished from 1 January 2026
2. Stamp duty rose to 0.5% with no cap
3. Stamp duty now applies only to off-plan sales
4. Stamp duty is still 0.2%, capped at EUR 20,000