As the prices of apartments in Cyprus are extremely low, and are expected to rise in the following couple of years, buying an apartment of your own will be considered a great investment. In order to inspect the subject, you can contact real-estate companies that deal with Cuprus properties.
Otherwise, when you have already lived in Cyprus for a while or has familiarized yourself with the local culture, history and social trends, renting an apartment here is no different from any other location in the world.
You have to start by looking at rental agents or surfing the Internet for local properties that’s been offered for rental. Its much easier finding a place when you are in Cyprus itself as this will allow you to look through the local newspapers and look for ads in shop windows. You also get a sense of the climate and start having a better idea in what to look for in an apartment i.e. will your apartment have morning or afternoon sun and it takes a while to get to know which areas are considered better than others.
As with any contract, it is extremely important to read the fine print. Also remember that if something seems to good to be true, it often is. Be wary when your landlord includes your utility bill as part of your rental and rather try to pay less rent and pay the utilities out of your own pocket.
What will you do when your landlord stops paying your water bill and it gets cut off in the middle of summer? Or if the landlord controls your temperature but is stingy and ensures that you are cold in winter and hot in summer despite the air conditioner. When something like this go wrong, you might need a lawyer to settle it or to allow you to get out of your contract early. Rather control and pay for these things yourself.
Another common trick to get people to sign is the free rent deals we see advertised.
Many people who sign strict free rent long-term contracts, does not get any free rent at all. If you are lucky enough to get anything, it’s usually that you do not have to pay rent for the last month of your first year in the building. Other landlords “forget” their promise or try to sway you by offering you use of business equipments or other amenities. Spend extra time reading the fine print on these types of deals.
As people, we often wait until the last possible moment before we start hunting for an apartment, and then it’s easy to overlook potential sour deals in your state of desperation. Other people just tend to fall in love with a certain place and then throw all caution to the wind when it comes to finalizing the contract agreement. Never show just how much you love a place as your agent will pick up on this and will be less willing to make you a good offer. Rather practice your poker face and learn to be vague.
When you have some time to spare while you are apartment hunting it is always a good idea to watch the local ads every day or week.
This tip can also be used when buying a used-car it will help you to get to know the market, and see which ones are more popular. The more popular a unit is, the less likely it will have any extras to offer. You will notice the less popular apartments by seeing that they have been listed for a very long time and that there has even been a price drop to entice renters.
Remember to always ask the landlord whether there is any special available. There might be an apartment that has not been renovated like the other units up for a slight discount. Or the landlord might just give you a discount to ensure quick business, even though he did not advertise any special prices. You can take along some other similar apartment ads and ask management whether they will be willing to match the other landlord’s rates or specials. Landlords are often willing to do this.
The most important part of deciding on which apartment to rent is taking the actual tour of the unit. Never rent a place without viewing it first. You have to be very vigilant and look out for any warning signs before you sign the contract. Start by looking out for any (dead or alive) bugs, cockroaches, spider webs, old bug baits or some dead ants. Once cockroaches in particular has invested a building it will be very hard to get rid of it, especially in an apartment as the whole block will be linked by the sewage system, the roach playground. Ask your landlord about the bugs but remember that they often do not spray as much as they claim they do and getting rid of the bugs might be up to you in the end. Also check the outside of the unit for ant piles in the grass.
Once you have looked for creepy crawlies, turn your attention to any parts of the apartment that seem broken or recently, possibly badly, repaired. Flats are often repainted before new tenant move in but check to make sure that it wasn't done to cover up water damage. If something is left broken now (when they are keen to get it on the market) it might mean that there is no handyman around or it might take forever to get it fixed.
The last thing you want is moving into a flat with a non-existent handyman. The landlord will probably try to calm you down by saying that he has reported the problem and that it is on a list of stuff. It is a good idea to tell the landlord that you will only take the apartment once the repairs have been done. Write on the contract that you will only pay the deposit once you can see that this has been done. If your agent or landlord does not agree to this, it is unlikely that you will ever get these items fixed.
