6,000 units in “fenced area†held by Turkey
6,000 units in “fenced area” held by Turkey
The Cyprus branch of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) wants to track down refugees and owners of 6,000 properties in Famagusta to help conduct a thorough survey of the ghost town’s “fenced off area”, the results of which may be used to produce a current valuation in claims against Turkey.
The joint project, conducted by RICS Cyprus in cooperation with the Famagusta Chamber of Commerce, should be concluded by next March, producing an average valuation for all properties in the UN-controlled part of the city, but not specific valuations for individual properties.
This, said officials, will help produce objective and reliable data, as required by the European Court of Human Rights that has rejected past valuation of hundreds of properties in claims submitted by Famagusta refugees against Turkey.
Liana Toumazou, Country Manager for RICS Cyprus-Greece, said that the fenced off area represented nearly a third of all properties in the wider Famagusta town area and that the project, entitled “Mass survey of the fenced area of Famagusta”, could eventually expand to include valuations of properties in other parts of the Turkish-occupied areas.
Andreas Matsis, vice president of the refugee Chamber, said that a lot of people have already come forward with title deeds or other documentation of their properties in Famagusta, while they expect many foreigners and overseas Cypriots to respond as well.
He explained that figures mentioned in the past, such as the EUR 3 bln required to rebuild Famagusta, as suggested in the UN’s Annan Plan, referred to the cost of reconstruction of infrastructure (roads, utilities, telecoms) and not to the value of the city itself.
He added that documentation could even include rental agreements, advertisements for specific properties or anything else that would help compute a value.
Toumazou added that RICS will use the appropriate methodology to achieve transparency and abolish the confusion that exists amongst Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, thus protecting the public. The government and Land Registry Department were informed about the project but will not be involved in its implementation.
She added that foreign experts may also be called in to contribute their expertise in the valuation of properties that have remained idle over decades because of conflicts or other political situations.
