Title deeds for refugee home owners delayed

Lawmakers have postponed discussion of a bill regulating the issuing of title deeds to people living in refugee housing estates until September following a clash between MPs and the interior ministry.

The House refugee committee has been pushing for some amendments that will allow all people who have been living in refugee housing to hold title deeds which will enable them to sell or rent the property.

But the interior ministry has denied the committee’s request to issue title deeds for small houses used by the enclaved people when they needed to be in the government-controlled areas. They also turned down a request to issue title deeds to 40 houses in the Nicosia district which were built at the suggestion of the state but were not included in the housing estates.

Thus, discussions have been pushed until after parliament’s summer recess.

Meanwhile, several amendments were included in the bill.

Referring to the revised text, committee chairman, Akel MP Nikos Kettiros said the provision for a five-year freeze period before owners can sell the properties, as well as on-site inspections for the issuance of title deeds and rental certificates were removed.

Instead, titles of ownership and certificates will be issued with a note, even if there are minor violations within the plots, as long as they do not interfere with green spaces, pavements and other people’s property.

The amended text largely adopts the proposals tabled by his left-wing party.

Regarding the interior ministry’s disagreement with the committee’s proposals on housing for the enclaved, Kettiros said a letter will be sent within the week, explaining “the political reasons why the interior minister should take a decision and change the attitude of the ministry and the government.

“The number of enclaved persons is not increasing, the 1974 enclaved are decreasing, now there are only those who have been relocated,” he said.

On the ministry’s position on title deeds for residences not located within refugee settlements, Kettiros pointed out that the state indicated this land for the construction of housing.

“But at the moment it wants to recover residences from the refugees, meaning it will also make a profit”. He said that these are 40 houses in the Nicosia district and added that the letter will set out the reasons why the minister should change his stance on this issue as well.

He also appeared confident that the ministry will eventually understand “the rationality and fairness” of their proposals.

“We are consciously choosing not to raise our voices now about the reasons why these decisions should be taken. We believe that because the proposals we have put forward are within the framework of rationality and fairness, we have the credentials to convince the ministry to consent,” he said.

Diko MP Zacharias Koulias described as a “casus belli” the issue of houses used by the enclaved people, and noted that this concerns a very small number of residences.

He stressed that “these people have suffered the most” and that because they do not have refugee status, “the government does not want to give them the houses. Our demand is that these houses be titled to the families who have been using them for 30-40 years,” he said.