We have repeatedly written in the Greek press that the concentration of illegal foreign workers in the central places of cities is a dangerous development. Our articles of 3 years and more recent, pointed out this worrying situation with particular reference to the area of Paphos, where the ex-Pontiacs (Greek Russians) are concentrated, for the city of Larnaca in the locality of the church of St. Lazaros (where most Syrians, Iranians) and Nicosia are concentrated in the old city, where the center of Pakistanis and others is.
It seems that the foreign workers who are here illegally (some politicians say that the issue of illegal immigrants is Turkey’s policy to cause problems for the government of Cyprus, since 70% of these immigrants come from Turkey and the occupied areas) do not want make an effort to adapt to the local culture. The mayor of Nicosia has taken steps to evict these people from the dilapidated buildings of the old town and of course they have moved into the more modern residential areas, occupying a single apartment in numbers between 5 and 10 people. Therefore, the apartment building in such cases automatically loses its value, as does, in proportion, entire neighborhoods. The tenants, being illegal, behave well and pay the rent. Sometimes the rent charged is 50% more than the market rate, hence the problem (the locals who are greedy take a lot of the blame, but then where are the foreign workers going to stay, even if it’s illegal? .
A difficult situation in every way, since these illegal immigrants do not receive gifts from the Government and resort to crime (60% of the inmates are foreigners), human trafficking, prostitution, etc. As if all this were not enough, our Minister of the Interior, who is well known for his support for the protection of human rights, gives them a little support (see his instructions to the police not to start raids, etc.) which makes the situation worse. The recent problems of the city of Larnaca are the tip of the iceberg (they have asked that the bells of the church of Saint Lazarus not be used because they disturb their sleep and this from a church that is the pride of Larnaca and one of the oldest churches /historical in Cyprus).
The situation is not going to go away unless it is addressed. The new approach of illegal immigrants to declare themselves political refugees (with the help of traffickers and local lawyers) is an additional problem, since this class of illegal immigrants destroys/hides their documents so that they cannot be returned. These political refugees receive a monthly aid of approximately €500/person.
That was all very well before the 2009 recession, but now that the local population is out of work and with local social security payments drying up, there is a hostile sentiment as to why the Government of Cyprus should pay more than 5.0 million of euros. pa for immigrants, an amount that should go towards their unemployment benefits by increasing their benefits (with 7% unemployment and rising, the situation could become even more dire). This state of affairs will inevitably affect the real estate market in those locations where there is such a concentration. The town of Protaras as an example where Gypsies “reside” (in the Kapparis area), despite the objection of Nicosia locals and holiday home owners. Of course, the situation is not unique to Cyprus, but it does affect property values.
So when buying property, be careful and in your considerations take into account the above in terms of migrant population (we understand that the Paphos Police stay away from the Pontiac area of K. Paphos! – where apartments are worth of 1/ 3º of the price at its best in relation to the unaffected flats, so don’t get carried away by low prices and consult this parameter as well.
The situation is a worldwide problem with Hispanics in the US, Arabs and Africans in France, Roma in Italy and all kinds of immigrants in the UK, Denmark and Germany have a similar problem with Turkish immigrants etc. .
As an indication, we have recorded the following price reduction derived from this cause:
Paphos – 30% off
Larnaca – 15% off
Paralymni – 15%-20%
Nicosia – 25%
Limassol – No clear reduction indicated
What a mess our dear readers. The problem of property titles, mortgages, the recession in the real estate industry and others, now we also have to worry about this situation.