Initial Costs

[MacManiac]

Planning has moved to the fine detail and I wonder whether members can offer some help.

Our plan so far is to fly out either in mid-October or early November, and then look for a suitable long term rental property in one of the villages within reasonable travelling distane of Paphos.

Our thoughts at the moment are that we will need to find somewhere for a base - literally somewhere to rest our heads whilst we research areas and find the right property. I'm sure others have followed this route. I am assuming that - at the end of the main tourist season - there will be plenty of choice. Ideally we would like to find somewhere before we travel. Where is the best place to look, and what sort of price would we be looking at? Any short term accommodation would need to be open-ended as we have no idea (how long is a piece of string?) how long it will take us to find the right property.

I assume (from reading posts on this forum) that when we find the right long term rental property we will need to pay a month's deposit and a month's rent in advance. Other starting-up costs, we assume, will be:

1. Water (Is a deposit required to connect services or have the service transferred to the new tenants). If so, what deposit should we allow for?

2. Electricity (Is a deposit required to connect services or have the service transferred to the new tenants). If so, what deposit should we allow for?

3. Telephone & Internet (Is a deposit required to connect services or have the service transferred to the new tenants). If so, what deposit should we allow for?

4. Car Hire - in the first couple of weeks we will need to hire a car to travel round the various rental properties. We don't want anything grand but would appreciate recommendations for companies to contact (and perhaps who not to contact). Ideally we would pick up the car at Paphos airport so as to avoid the horror stories we hear about local taxies.

5. Administration costs - I understand that there must be costs associated with registering and immigration and medical services and …
Can anyone who has recently moved to Cyprus advise us about this?

6. Council Tax - we intend to rent a 2/3 bedroomed villa with pool. I know roughly what charges are levied on property but are they payable in advance, in arrears, monthly or bi-monthly or quarterly?

7. What have we not considered? If there is anything glaringly obvious we have overlooked, I should appreciate a nudge in the right direction.

Our furniture will be following us out and we have a good indication of the timescale involved. Therefore an unfurnished or partly furnished long term rental is what we are looking for. If necessary we will camp there if we find the right property quickly.

We are fairly thick-skinned so please don't hold back on things we have overlooked or forgotten. If we have been particuarly stupid, then you can always send me a PM to spare my imaginary blushes.

[Pam n Dave]

If your looking for accommodation then 6 months tends to be the boundary between long term and short term rental and the price drops after 6 months.

Utilities are sometimes a bit of a minefield, we had a friend who moved twice and found that the initial bill included some of the previous tenants usage so it may be wise to check the meters and be prepared to do battle when your first bill arrives. You may also need copies of the rental agreements to change the names from the previous people to yours. We did not need a deposit to transfer the water or electricity.

Many people seem to just use mobiles rather than have a fixed line, especially if they use communal internet or WiFi.

Easy Car seem to have a good reputation and we have used them on several occasions without a problem, their charges are reasonable. They deliver to the airport and in our case gave us a couple of days to sort out the paperwork. We were grateful for this as the first day or so can be a little hectic sorting out food etc.

When we moved out immigration charges were minimal but someone else may give you an up to date figure.

Our council charges are payable at the beginning of the year and are around 120 euro. In theory you should not have to worry until next January. We paid ours in April because the board hadn’t met to decide the charges.

You will need to set up a bank account here so that you can get money from the UK, also consider a Currency Fair account to transfer funds across, as I’m typing this you can get 1.2759 which is pretty good.

Bear in mind that although you are bringing furniture that some items may be a problem. Curtains may not fit and you will probably need blackout blinds for the summer.

It’s likely that the new property will have an oven and a hob so you may need to ditch the cooker.

Clothes and electrical goods are more expensive here so we did some shopping before we left and replaced the older electrical items and bought more summer clothes, especially the £5 tee shirts and shorts.

I’ve also sent a PM about accommodation.

No doubt the others will pile in and make a few additions.

[MacManiac]

Very useful advice and thanks for the information. Never thought about blackout blinds ...

I've sent you a PM regarding accommodation and no doubt we'll talk once you return to the UK.

As Internet is absolutely essential, a fixed line once we find a long term rental is going to be required.

I would have checked the meters as a matter of course in the UK but in the excitement of a move to a "foreign country" that may well have slipped my mind. As I mentioned in my original post, the more obvious things can get forgotten and I would much prefer if people nudged us about things they might have taken for granted.

"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition."

[Pam n Dave]

I may have mislead you about WiFi so apologies. It's possible to to have a contract for internet without using a fixed line.

We have an aerial directed at a relay station over a valley but for all intents and purposes it acts like a fixed line. A survey needs to done first to make sure that there is line of sight.

[MacManiac]

Thanks for that, Dave. Yet another thing to consider.

Martin

[Miss Daisy]

When I set up things for my villa in 2010, there was no cost to put the water in my name but I did have to leave what I thought was an outrageous deposit for electricity (something around 100 Euros), which I was originally told was required because I am not an EU citizen. Now I am told that this deposit is for everyone (too many people skipping out on big electric bills, I guess).

Council fees vary based on where you live and whether you have an apartment or a villa. In Frenaros the council fees are now a ridiculous 444 Euros/year. I am told I am entitled to a 25% discount because I live alone and do not work, but I did not receive a discount last year. This year I know how to escalate the matter. As I understand it, council fees are billed for the past year. I believe they are due in January, but you get a discount if you pay in November.

Internet/phone will vary based on who you use. I have to pay a ridiculous (again) amount for Cyta to activate the landline, but they split the fee into 12 or 24 monthly payments. When I switched to Primetel for my phone and internet I had to commit to a 1-year contract and pay the first month in advance and Cyta sent me a final bill for the remaining amount on the line connection. I use pay as you go for my mobile phone (Cyta). It's the most economical for my purpose.

I just renewed my alien registration/residency permit (again, I am not an EU citizen) and paid around 40 Euros. I think it is less for Brits and you do not have to do it every year.

If you want a satellite dish for TV, there will be a cost for that. I have Nile Sat and I think the installation cost was around 230 Euros (satellite and receiver) - one time fee. If you get something else, there may be monthly subscription fees.

Two things that you will probably end up buying when you get here - fans for cooling in the summer and heaters for the winter. I would definitely recommend bringing a few electric underblankets with you if you can.

Hope this helps.

[MacManiac]

Originally Posted by Miss Daisy

When I set up things for my villa in 2010, there was no cost to put the water in my name but I did have to leave what I thought was an outrageous deposit for electricity (something around 100 Euros), which I was originally told was required because I am not an EU citizen. Now I am told that this deposit is for everyone (too many people skipping out on big electric bills, I guess).

Council fees vary based on where you live and whether you have an apartment or a villa. In Frenaros the council fees are now a ridiculous 444 Euros/year. I am told I am entitled to a 25% discount because I live alone and do not work, but I did not receive a discount last year. This year I know how to escalate the matter. As I understand it, council fees are billed for the past year. I believe they are due in January, but you get a discount if you pay in November.

Internet/phone will vary based on who you use. I have to pay a ridiculous (again) amount for Cyta to activate the landline, but they split the fee into 12 or 24 monthly payments. When I switched to Primetel for my phone and internet I had to commit to a 1-year contract and pay the first month in advance and Cyta sent me a final bill for the remaining amount on the line connection. I use pay as you go for my mobile phone (Cyta). It's the most economical for my purpose.

I just renewed my alien registration/residency permit (again, I am not an EU citizen) and paid around 40 Euros. I think it is less for Brits and you do not have to do it every year.

If you want a satellite dish for TV, there will be a cost for that. I have Nile Sat and I think the installation cost was around 230 Euros (satellite and receiver) - one time fee. If you get something else, there may be monthly subscription fees.

Two things that you will probably end up buying when you get here - fans for cooling in the summer and heaters for the winter. I would definitely recommend bringing a few electric underblankets with you if you can.

Hope this helps.

That's really helpful. I am sure costs will vary according to location but the other points you make are really helpful, and everyone mentions things we have not thought of. Many thanks and the time draws ever nearer.

[Veronica]

A deposit for electricity is not required when buying a property but for rentals it is always required.
Make sure that when you get the electricity put into your name that you check that any outstanding bills have been paid. If anything is owing then the landlord must pay it before you sign anything.
There is also usually a deposit required for telephone lines but not for water.

[MacManiac]

As we shall be renting, that's very useful to know. This is becoming less of a potential minefield with each post. Many thanks to all.

[Pam n Dave]

Once you are here it gets easier as there are people around to talk to, and they can point you in the right direction.