A new housing scheme will allow owners of existing homes to build an additional housing unit for family members, the Ministry of Interior announced.
The scheme is part of the Government’s wider housing policy and aims to expand access to quality and affordable housing while making better use of existing properties.
Under the scheme, homeowners can create a new residence on an additional floor, within or as an extension of the existing home, or in an available part of the plot, where planning rules allow it.
Up to 150 square metres
The new unit can have a buildable area of up to 150 square metres. This can rise to 180 square metres on plots with a net area of at least 1,000 square metres.
The scheme applies across Cyprus, in cities and communities, on plots where residential development is permitted under the relevant Development Plans.
Where it is not possible to provide the required parking spaces for the new unit, applicants can use the mechanism for purchasing the required parking provision.
Areas and properties excluded
The scheme does not apply to listed buildings or Areas of Special Character, existing apartments in blocks of flats, or homes forming part of existing unified residential developments.
It also excludes plots outside development limits, tourism zones, environmentally sensitive areas, protected landscapes and nature protection areas, as well as areas covered by the Antiquities Law.
The scheme cannot be used to legalise unauthorised structures that already exist when it is published.
Scheme runs until 2027
The scheme will remain in effect until 31 December 2027 and covers applications submitted to the competent Planning Authority by that date.
A planning permit issued under the scheme will be valid for no more than three years.
The new housing unit cannot be sold or transferred for 10 years, except in cases of inheritance.
Can be combined with other housing schemes
The scheme can be combined with other Government housing initiatives, including schemes for displaced persons, as well as programmes supporting the revitalisation of mountainous, border and disadvantaged areas and rural communities.
However, beneficiaries who have already used an incentive or scheme involving additional building density cannot use the new scheme.
Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou described the measure as a targeted social intervention intended to create more opportunities for affordable housing and support families, particularly younger generations.
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