Consumer Rights When Building or Repairing Property in North Cyprus

When you carry out property construction or repairs in North Cyprus, we want to ensure safety for your home, your property, and the people involved or around the project. While we don’t expect it, mistakes or accidents can take place during your project, as homeowners and workers are only human. The way in which your contractor deals with the situation in the case of an accident is crucial.

Seek a Certified Contractor

A legal building contractor in North Cyprus involves more than someone who merely decides to build and repair property for money. In order to receive official papers, a certified contractor must meet some serious requirements. They must:

1.  Register a legal entity on the territory of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, as either a self-employed sole trader, or an LLC.

2.  Receive a registration number with the TRNC’s National Tax Office in order to include a construction service value-added tax (VAT) and pay all necessary taxes to the state.

3.  Provide a certificate of professional education that is given to one or more company employees, more often to the company owner, that have successfully undergone training and passed a written test and an oral examination on the declared construction trade(s).

As a general contractor, Cyprus Homebuilders is certified in all major registered trades such as construction-based concrete formwork, main structure building (columns and walls), roof building, and finishing work.

4.  Receive permission from the Turkish Cypriot Building Contractors Union to legally offer a construction trade to the general public on a commercial basis. In order to receive the permission, an applicant must provide a certificate of professional education and documented proof of at least 10 years of experience in a desired construction trade. ! A company without such permission has no legal right to carry out any building activity in North Cyprus !

At this time, there are approximately 400 registered members in the Union; however, each year the number steadily declines due to the fact that many contractors fail to meet tougher and more systemised requirements. The Union permission is renewed every year.

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5.  Establish an LLC and receive a general contractor licence in order to have the right to legally build new property over 150 m2 in size and hire subcontractors.

6.  Be a full-fledged member of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Shopkeepers and Artisans. This membership together with the permission from the Building Contractors Union allows a contractor to legally employ workers, apply for work permits for foreign citizens, etc. The membership is renewed every year.

7.  As a contractor with an office open for visitors from the general public, pay a local business office tax to the town council in the administrative territory where the office is located. The tax is used for road and utilities maintenance, refuse collection, etc., and is paid annually.

8.  Ensure that all company workers are legally employed, and their mandatory social deductibles are paid on a monthly basis.

9.  In addition to mandatory certificates and permissions, participate in additional training within the industry. For example, as an active member of the Contractors Union, Cyprus Homebuilders staff regularly participates in organised training, seminars, and other events on new materials, construction techniques, work safety regulations, etc. For example, our company has successfully completed training on the topics of scaffolding safety and construction site safety.

! Please remember that local real estate agencies, development companies, and property management companies are not certified to offer construction and repair services. They are required to find a local building contractor to undertake a job. Unfortunately, often times they do not check contractors’ qualifications so they are not responsible for the substandard quality results of your project. Keep in mind, the lowest-cost contractor provides a higher profit margin for their intermediary services !

Read more in our article on finding the right contractor in North Cyprus.

Receive a Detailed Contract and a Service Guarantee

With Cyprus Homebuilders, you receive a written agreement as a serious document of proof in the case of any legal disputes. It is your right, and it is an important task in the case of a misunderstanding between a builder and a homeowner about the scope of work or any other facet of the construction or repair project.

Report Substandard Workmanship

If you have experienced substandard construction or repair services, if you are not satisfied with the project results, if your contractor is not taking responsibility for resolving the issues, or if you suspect that a contractor is carrying out work and employing people illegally, please report these offenses immediately to the Turkish Cypriot Building Contactors Union!

Address:  Şehit Ecvet Yusuf Caddesi №98, Kızılbaş-LEFKOŞA

Phone:    +90 (392) 228 83 73 (Office Secretary, Fatma Gülsev)

E-mail:     [email protected]

The Cyprus Homebuilders’ English-speaking staff can help you facilitate communication with the Union representative by translating from English in Turkish.