The waiting time for carrying out a land or cadastral survey in Cyprus reaches an average of 17 months, however in some cases the procedure can stretch up to 16 years. Such data are presented in a new report by the Audit Service, published on Tuesday, February 17. The document revealed systemic problems in the work of the Land Department that directly affect the real estate market, the investment climate, and property owners’ rights.
What is a cadastral survey and why it is critically important
Cadastral surveying is an official procedure for determining and recording the exact boundaries of a land plot. It establishes the legal and physical parameters of real estate, including area, configuration, and boundary coordinates. These data are used for property registration, concluding sale and purchase transactions, arranging mortgages, land subdivision, and resolving disputes between neighbors.
Against the backdrop of the active development of Cyprus’s real estate market, especially in Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca, the timely completion of cadastral data becomes a key factor for investors and private owners. Delays in the system create serious risks for transactions and the implementation of construction projects.
Boundary disputes and land expropriation: years of waiting for decisions
According to the agency’s report, in disputes between neighbors over plot boundaries the average waiting time for a decision is 125 months, that is more than ten years. In a number of cases an on-site inspection was carried out only 6–10 years after the application was submitted, and the final notification to the parties arrived after 15 years.
No less problematic remains the processing of expropriation cases. Consideration of such cases takes on average 90 months. Such delays negatively affect infrastructure projects and compensation to owners.
As of the end of 2024, about 25 thousand applications for land surveys were in the queue. Approximately 15 thousand new requests are received annually, while the service is capable of processing about 13 thousand. Thus, the accumulated “backlog” continues to grow.
System overload and staff shortages
The Audit Service emphasizes that the Land Department suffers from chronic staff shortages and excessive workload. Interaction between citizens and businesses with the agency often turns into a long and complicated process.
Auditor General Andreas Papakonstantinou in the foreword to the report called for a “deep change of mindset and approach”. According to him, acknowledging the problem alone is insufficient — a large-scale administrative reform is needed, aimed at creating a modern, transparent, and efficient system for managing land resources.
Delays in the cadastral service also affect the work of other state bodies, since many procedures — from issuing building permits to registering mortgages — directly depend on correct and up-to-date land data.
Use of private and state land: new questions
The report also addresses issues of the use of private land by military structures without valid decrees, as well as cases of prolonged requisition instead of the official expropriation procedure. The average duration of decrees on the temporary use of private plots for military purposes reaches eight years, which leads to delays in compensation payments to owners.
Special attention is given to the management of state land. The Land Service reacts too slowly to cases of illegal interference or unauthorized use of state plots. As of the end of 2024, 1 127 documented cases of such violations were under consideration. In the Nicosia district some cases remained inactive for up to 15 years. At the same time, it is emphasized that the actual number of violations may be significantly higher.
Million-euro debts and budget losses
The financial side of the problem also raises serious concern. At the end of 2024 the amount of debt to the Land Department reached 18.5 million euros compared to 15.5 million a year earlier. Of this amount, about 13.6 million euros are rental debts for state land accumulated by private individuals.
In the Nicosia district ten tenants of state plots owed 2.6 million euros. After prolonged delays these cases were transferred to the Office of the Attorney General to initiate legal proceedings.
Possible reforms and cadastral digitalization
Against the backdrop of criticism, the authorities had previously announced plans to digitalize cadastral processes and introduce electronic services for submitting applications and tracking case status. Real estate market experts note that without accelerating surveying procedures and property rights registration Cyprus risks facing a decline in investment attractiveness, especially in the foreign capital segment.
The systemic modernization of the Land Department, including process automation, strengthening staffing, and revising procedures for managing state land, could become a key condition for stabilizing the market and increasing transparency in real estate operations.
For now, however, the auditors’ report clearly shows: the problems of the Land Cadastre in Cyprus are not episodic but structural in nature, requiring deep and consistent reforms.