The Ministry of the Interior aims to build apartment buildings on vacant state-owned lots in settlements

The Ministry of the Interior has recently been working on a new housing plan for the refugee community, with Minister Konstantinos Ioannou laying out his plans on the matter during the first session of the Parliamentary Committee on Refugees.

The plan’s philosophy is to construct apartment buildings on vacant state-owned plots in residential neighborhoods. In fact, the apartments will be made available exclusively to refugees at affordable rents.

Officials from the Ministry of the Interior are already in the process of identifying such plots and verifying that they are not subject to any encumbrances.

This decision, however, inevitably brought smiles to the faces of the Parliament’s Refugee Committee. Its chairman, Nikos Kettiros, pointed out that various proposals had been made in the past to use these plots for other purposes. At this session, however, members received a clear answer that the apartments in the apartment buildings to be constructed would be available only to refugees.

After the Refugee Committee meeting concluded, Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou stated that the technical details and practical implementation of the plan would be announced in due course, once its provisions have been finalized.

The Radical Change

One of the radical changes that have taken place within the framework of refugee policy is the amendment of the legislative framework to modernize the process for the disposal of Turkish Cypriot properties. The goal is to put an end to the long-standing plundering of Turkish Cypriot properties and the refugee community.

These changes have resulted in the modernization of the system for allocating these properties through a points-based system and the introduction of new objective criteria.

Based on the assessment to date, following the implementation of the new system, four public notices regarding Turkish Cypriot properties have been issued, covering 37 residential properties, 71 commercial properties and open spaces, and 177 agricultural plots.

At the same time, audits of lease agreements revealed that, out of 4,032 lease agreements for commercial properties and open spaces, 512 cases of violations of contract terms were identified, and another 78 in 864 contracts with local authorities.

In fact, an audit of lease agreements for residential purposes is currently underway, which has already revealed 31 cases of violations of terms. These findings demonstrate that abuse was not an isolated phenomenon.

Promotion of New Amendments

However, the implementation of the revised legislative framework has revealed the need for further amendments to the legislation.

Among the changes being promoted by the Turkish Cypriot Property Administration is the introduction of a provision that will regulate the allocation process in cases where two applicants who have expressed interest inTurkish Cypriot property are tied in the scoring system. This scoring system was one of the key changes in the allocation of Turkish Cypriot properties.

 Or even the introduction of a provision regulating the allocation process in cases where more than one heir claims the same property for owner-occupancy purposes.

A Race Against Time

At the same time, it should be noted that the Service for the Care and Rehabilitation of Displaced Persons has also embarked on a race to modernize the process of providing rental subsidies for refugees. 

To this end, beneficiary categories are being simplified to account for family composition, outdated provisions are being repealed, criteria are being updated, and eligibility thresholds are being raised to meet the current needs and circumstances of beneficiaries.

Furthermore, through the changes already implemented in the housing programs for refugees by the Social Services Department, the number of beneficiaries has increased, complaints have decreased by 90%, and the time required to review applications has been reduced from 12 months to less than six months.

For example, in 2025 alone, 2,197 applications were approved, and €56.4 million was disbursed.

At the same time, an additional 20% subsidy is granted to eligible refugees participating in the Housing Revitalization Programs for Mountainous, Frontier and Disadvantaged Areas, and Rural Areas.

On Track for Implementation

An ambitious project that marked the government’s first initiative regarding the refugee community is the “ktizo” program. This initiative aims to demolish refugee apartment buildings deemed unfit for habitation and construct new apartment buildings in their place. Under the plan, refugees have the option to either choose to remain in the new apartments that will be built—paying a contribution based on the category to which they belong, as stipulated by the plan—or to leave and receive a cash payment from the state.

Based on the plan’s progress to date, the two apartment buildings in the Apostolos Andreas settlement in Latsia and the Kokkines settlement in Strovolos are scheduled for delivery in July, while four apartmentin Nicosia and Limassol are currently under construction. Construction of two apartment buildings in Limassol and Larnaca will also begin this fall

As for the second and third phases of the plan, which provide for the allocation of funds either for the repair of apartment buildings or even for the installation of elevators, the procedures have been expedited.

Twenty-six apartment buildings in the second phase and another 30 in the third phase have expressed interest.

A long-standing issue has been resolved

A long-standing issue has been resolved, as urban planning violations or unauthorized alterations to properties had been an obstacle to the issuance of title deeds or lease certificates. By a decision of the Council of Ministers, the right to issue these documents was granted in 838 cases, and a special note was included so that they could be used for inheritance purposes.

Meanwhile, over the past two years, an additional 485 title deeds and 247 lease certificates have been issued.