Cyprop - the north Cyprus property specialists

On Friday March 5th 2010, the European Court of Human rights (ECHR) ruled that the Immovable Property Commission (IPC) of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is a valid domestic remedy for providing compensation and/or restitution to former Greek Cypriot land or property owners.

In recognising the IPC, the ECHR stated that the 8 applications before it in a pilot case were inadmissable as ‘the applicants had not made use of the mechanism and their complaints under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention had therefore to be rejected for non-exhaustion of domestic remedies.’

The Court also stressed that ‘the decision was not to be interpreted as an obligation to make use of the IPC; the claimants could choose to await a political settlement.  However, if applicants wished to lodge an application before the ECHR, it’s admissibility would be decided in line with the present principles.’

Basically, what this now means is that if a Greek Cypriot wants to pursue a compensation/restitution claim for land or property that they had to leave behind in 1974, they must go through the IPC in North Cyprus or wait for a political settlement.

Jake with Senior Kart Championship Andrew Wheeler

12 year old Jake Rowbottom has been selected to drive a season for a fully sponsored Easy Kart team at the Zet Karting track in Lefkosia.  If he is successful in his first season he will be invited to race in the Easy Kart World Championships in Italy later in the year.

The 2009 Senior Karting Champion, Andrew Wheeler, bought the Cadet class Kart at an auction in January with the aim of finding a suitable youngster to race the Kart during the 2010 season.  Cyprop director Richard Burton contacted Andrew and suggested he test out Jake after seeing him drive on a family day out.

Andrew said “We were looking for a young person who not only demonstrated great driving ability but also the confidence to speak to the press and the dedication to turn up to many hours of  practice between race days.  Jake was quick around the track on his first test and proved to be only 2 seconds off of the time set by last season’s winner.  With a new set of tyres, some minor adjustments to the Kart and some more hours of practice I believe Jake will be a very competitive racer this season.”

The cost of racing the Kart for the season runs to about £1,500 which includes a professional helmet,  fireproof  racing overalls & boots, a new set of tyres for each race and fuel.  Cyprop were one of the first sponsors to step forward in what we hope will be a very successful first season for Jake.

Jake moved to North Cyprus in September with his parents Alan and Ann Rowbottom.  The Rowbottoms first came to TRNC on a Cyprop inspection trip in April 2008 when they bought their property in Bellapais.

We will continue to follow Jake’s progress on this Blog.

Learning Kart maintenance

A proud Jake with his new Kart and race gear

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon arrived in Cyprus on Sunday evening to boost the on going peace talks on the island.  The Secretary-General spent Monday meeting with Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.

The UN chief held separate talks with the two leaders before chairing a joint meeting to decide on a strategy for the next phase of the process.

Ban’s visit to Cyprus was the first by a UN Secretary-General for over 8 years and is considered to be a personal show of support for the reunification talks between Christofias and Talat.

Ban said that he is pleased that the two leaders have recently made some significant progress on the key issue of governance and power-sharing during January’s intensive round of talks.  ”I’m here to show my personal support to the Cypriot-led talks to reunify the country,” Ban said on Sunday.  ”My visit is a reflection of the importance I have attached to the current efforts to reach a settlement.”

David Haye became the new WBA Heavyweight Champion of the World on Saturday night when he out pointed, out boxed and out classed the ‘Beast from the East’ Nikolai Valuev.  Haye weighed in a record 7 stone less than Valuev and also gave away over a foot in height but still managed to control the fight and even had the giant Valuev doing a silly dance with his legs buckling underneath him in the last round.  The achievement becomes all the more impressive when you realize that Haye fought with a broken right hand from the second round onwards!

David Haye lives and trains at his base in Kyrenia, North Cyprus with his wife Natasha and their 19 month old son Cassius.  In an interview with the BBC straight after his victory in Nuremburg, Haye said that one of the main reasons for his success is that living and training in North Cyprus keeps him so relaxed and positive.  He absolutely loves the place.  In fact, when it was decided by his trainer that for this particular fight it would be better for him to train in the UK, he replicated his North Cyprus gym identically in London to make him feel more at home!

Congratulations David, bring on the Klitschko brothers!!

Having heard such mixed reports regarding the situation in Northern Cyprus I wanted to visit so that I could see for myself what the situation was really like. I travelled from Gatwick in the company of Paul and Alan, sub agents of Cyprop and we were met at Larnaca Airport (4hrs flying time) in the south of the island by Richard Burton, our host for the 4 day visit. Richard moved to NC two years ago with his young family to head up sales operations for Cyprop and has established a wide range of contacts, both business and personal, during his time there.

From the airport we set off on a 1 hour drive to Kyrenia, on the north coast, via the border at Nicosia, where formalities took no more than five minutes before we could proceed into the Turkish sector. Having checked into the hotel, the 5 star Rocks Hotel we were introduced to Richard Appleberg who heads up TRNC Sales in the UK and was to spend three days with us before returning to UK. It is hard to imagine anyone with more enthusiasm for his job and between them, the two Richards entertained us, answered never-ending questions from us regarding the political situation, investment opportunities and the general economic situation in the North. Our days were spent mainly visiting developments, some under construction, some completed, and many individual properties for sale. What strikes you first is the incredible value for money represented here, together with a high build quality, managed lettings, and a remarkably low cost of living. Remember that the currency here is Turkish Lira rather than the Euro. Property transactions are conducted in Sterling, another advantage removing any foreign exchange exposure.

Whilst in Kyrenia we took advantage of the opportunity to visit one of the country’s top law firms for an in-depth discussion regarding the legal system there, much of it still based on English law, and we were able to complete some documentation that leaves us ready to proceed as and when we wish. We also visited a local bank to open accounts, the process taking no more than fifteen minutes. So in the space of two hours we had put in place all the necessary formalities to enable us to proceed with a purchase whilst being back in the UK. During our stay we were fortunate enough to be introduced to one of the leading Turkish Cypriot developers there, whose commitment, vision and enthusiasm for the future is compelling. We were also shown many signs of serious inward investment, new schools, hotels, premium car and electronics dealerships, leisure facilities including a spectacular championship quality golf course. There is so much evidence that the North is grasping the opportunity to move forward, a perfect time to get involved. There is also plenty to attract the tourist, perfect beaches, historic mountain-top castles, beautiful fishing villages, stunning scenery, all combined with a cost of living as much as 60% lower than the Eurozone. From my conversations with many ex-pats living there, I believe NC has much to offer.

In conclusion, an invaluable visit which led to a much greater understanding of the opportunities that exist there. An exciting, developing area that leaves you with the impression that if they are twenty years behind the curve, they won’t be for much longer.

Steve W, OCT 2009

Cyprop MD Richard Appleberg, President Mehmet Ali Talat & Kings Pin owner Mr Ahmet Aydogan

President Mehmet Ali Talat attended the opening of the Kings Pin Leisure Centre on Friday 9th October 2009. This stunning brand new facility is built and owned by Mr Ahmet Aydogan of Kibris Insaat. Cyprop Managing Director Richard Appleberg was invited along to the opening by Mr Aydogan who is also Cyprop’s partner in the Begonvillia Court development in Iskele.

President Talat discussing North Cyprus politics with Mr Ahmet Aydogan & Mr Richard Appleberg

 At the opening, Richard Appleberg was introduced to President Talat by Mr Aydogan as one of the UK’s leading North Cyprus property specialists and the three gentlemen discussed a number of issues relating to the future of the North Cyprus property market. President Talat agreed to a further Question and Answer session with Richard Appleberg on his next visit to North Cyprus.

Games Machines

Friday 9th October 2009 saw the opening of the Kings Pin Leisure Centre in upper Kyrenia on the new by-pass between GAU junction and Ezic restaurant.

Kings Pin is a state of the art facility featuring a 12 lane bowling alley, 4D cinema experience, fantastic sports bar and one of the best mangal restaurants in North Cyprus. There is also a wide range of the very latest games machines and simulator rides. The centre is open daily from 10am till late and is manned by over 30 staff.

My name is Elle Burton and I moved to North Cyprus when I was ten. I used to live near to Brighton in West Sussex. When I first heard the idea of moving to North Cyprus I wasn’t sure about it until we came on holiday here and stayed at the Rocks Hotel in Kyrenia and the Artemis Hotel in the Karpaz. I found out that I can go swimming every day and that I can bring my dog Murphy to Cyprus and I was so excited.

When we first got to the house and settled in, which didn’t take long, it was like a brand new home being able to wake up with the mountains behind us and the sea infront. When I saw that I knew this is my new home.

When it got to Christmas time I had made lots of new friends from my school ESK before it had even opened. I wake up in the mornings actually excited aout going to school. For Christmas we went to the Malpas Hotel with my friends from school and their parents, it was so fun to go swimming on Christmas Day.

In the summertime I found lots to do. I went swimming on the beaches and did watersports but my highlight of the summer are the boat trips going from Kyrenia Harbour to other beaches and when the boat stops you can jump off into the clear sandy sea. But there’s much more to do than just swim, you can go horse riding at the Catalkoy riding club, paragliding off the beautiful castles built on the mountains and there is a new bowling centre which is amazing.

This is why I love Kuzey Kibris.

Elle Burton
Age 12