# mass exodus of brits



## wizard4 (Feb 3, 2013)

Hi guys what is your take on what has been reported here that's many brits are leaving Cyprus to return to the uk, it was cited that spiralling electricity costs as well as a hike in cost of living, loss of jobs, etc , they stated it was families where parents had lost there jobs and pensioners whose health deteriorated to the point of coming back.
Cheers


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

There is no mass exodus. There have always been people returning because they have lost their jobs, which is why we are constantly telling people with children not to come.
Also pensioners often feel that they want to go back when they have health problems, although personally so far I find the system here to be far better than in the UK.

As for the hike in electricity that was only after the power station exploded and a surcharge was put on everyones bill to pay towards the new one. Our last couple of bills have been two thirds, (maybe even less) of the previous ones.

Cost of living when taken across the board is no more than the UK.
The big difference for families is that if they fall on hard times there is little or no help for them here.


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

I assume you are referring to the Sky report. I have already commented on this on a Facebook forum.

This is the report:

Exodus Of Brits From Economic Woes in Cyprus 

This is what I said:

_The article above is written in a sensationalist and misleading way. It starts by giving the impression that "British expats are packing up and leaving Cyprus" and then quotes Stacey Morton saying "Britons were still arriving but that just as many were heading home." Her quote means the numbers are staying the same. So which is it? The whole article is written with a negative spin._

It is amazing what people will catch on to published by hacks and believe. Even then it will get exaggerated as the title of this thread is when it says "*Mass* exodus"

Pete


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## wizard4 (Feb 3, 2013)

Appologies I read the sky report as well as something about it in another forum, which I am not a member of, I agree with you as always things are blown up out of proportion, but this forum is my best place for information, and a reality check of life in Cyprus, so your comments are incredibly valued, as always. Thank you for keeping me on the right track.
Cheers


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## wizard4 (Feb 3, 2013)

Thank you veronica as always sound advice and information.
cheers


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

I saw it on the other forum and it is actually a copy paste of the Sky report.


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## Cleo Shahateet (Feb 23, 2009)

Agreed that there is no mass exodus. We are as busy as ever with buyers coming in to retire or to buy holiday homes. There are not quite as many families coming in but there were always more retirees and holiday makers anyway so no big change in my opinion. 

Currently we are getting many inquiries from Lebanon due to the escalating situation in the Middle East. People who visit and know Cyprus are not scared away by these reports. 

As for those that leave it is to be expected. Many come thinking the grass is greener on the other side. Those who arrive with realistic expectations and enough money do fine. 

We have to take all "news" and reports with a grain of salt as they are after ratings after all.


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## madcow (Jan 10, 2010)

Well I have to admit we are more Brits moving out.

Not out of Cyprus , just out of our current rental into an other one. Lol 

Love Cyprus and the plan is to live out our days here.


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## mdekkers (Jul 3, 2013)

Cleo Shahateet said:


> ...Many come thinking the grass is greener on the other side....


Usually because the grass on the other side is heavily fertilised with bullsh*t 

Martijn :ranger:


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## nemo1843 (Sep 27, 2012)

We are moving too - but only a mile up the road hopefully :fingerscrossed: (oops sorry that should be 1.60kms) - Cyprus still has our vote. 

:cheer2:


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## Talagirl (Feb 24, 2013)

Compared with when we originally came to Cyprus in 2004 - life is great! Much more choice of where to go, things to do, food items, restaurants, entertainment, internet access, easier to get things done such as Immigration and at €1 per day the electricity is cheap, the list goes on. Our household expenses budget has remained the same over the 10 year period but our standard of living is much higher since we returned last December.


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## madcow (Jan 10, 2010)

Electric at 1€ a day ....I wish , ours is 8€ this latest bill thanks to the long hot spell , thank god it's over.


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

I'm getting a feeling of déjà vu with Talagirl's outstandingly low electricity bills!

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/cyprus-expat-forum-expats-living-cyprus/143002-living-paphos-5.html#post3217785

Although Cyprus has lost the crown of the most expensive electricity in the EU, it still remains one of the most expensive - and that ain't cheap.

Pete


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## Petermm (Aug 18, 2014)

Typical press speculation from an undoubtedly unreliable source. Thankfully we don't believe most of what's published in the press. It certainly has not put us off making the move, in fact I wish we could make it over there earlier than we are planning for.


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## wizard4 (Feb 3, 2013)

brilliant love the comment
cheers


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## wizard4 (Feb 3, 2013)

That's interesting what your comments are about electricity prices, currently here in the uk mine works out at £1.61p per day, that's without heating or using the cooker, just the microwave and usual sundries. And if im not in Cyprus by November, I will be the recipient of the usual price hike which always happens just in time for the winter fuel payment.
cheers


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## expatantigua (Feb 16, 2014)

As a recent arrival on retirement (since 1st February) and in a long term rented villa, I disagree with elements of alleged reasons to leave Cyprus for the U,K.

The cost lf living here is far lower than the U.K.
Whilst the Cypriot electricity prices are now higher than 2 years ago due to the main plant getting a blast from a store of exploding munitions, try the U.K. prices!
Even with direct internet "old age" discounts, the cost per KWH is akin to here.
The annual rates payable here are the same as we paid PER MONTH in the U.K. and the garbage collection, etc is far better.
Food? If you use local products, a lot less than even ASDA and all the fruit and vegetables are organic.
In conclusion, the overall advantages of being here far outway the U.K. unless health and family circumstances dictate otherwise.


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

expatantigua said:


> As a recent arrival on retirement (since 1st February) and in a long term rented villa, I disagree with elements of alleged reasons to leave Cyprus for the U,K.
> 
> The cost lf living here is far lower than the U.K.
> Whilst the Cypriot electricity prices are now higher than 2 years ago due to the main plant getting a blast from a store of exploding munitions, try the U.K. prices!
> ...


While I like the general sentiment you are expressing I must disagree with some of your facts.

My household accounts over the last 5 years indicate that our total cost of living to be about the same as the UK. Of course this will vary from individual to individual but I think it is misleading to say the cost of living here is _far_ lower.

If I look at my last electricity bill which was €206.86 for 869 kWh and recalculate that using the British Gas standard tariff (one of the highest) it comes to €180.38. Thus Cyprus is 15% higher. This differential increases should you apply one of the lower tariffs. Cyprus does however win if you compare standing charges which seem to be ludicrously high in the UK on this tariff.

Many people think that all the fruit and vegetables here are organic. Now I've little knowledge of what the legal definition of organic is but rest assured much of the fruit and vegetables grown here use fertilisers, pesticides, and fungicides which would not qualify them as organic. That is not to say they are not cheap, capsicums excepted, and delicious on the whole.

It would have been more accurate had your conclusion said "overall financial advantages" as you have excluded everything else. 

There is far more to living here than financial issues and most of it is wrapped up in the phrase "quality of life".

Pete


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## hiatusxenia (May 6, 2013)

Dear Pete,

I love your detailed and precise replies! I wish that when I had lived in Cyprus I had known you or someone like you. You really are a font of knowledge. 

I would be very interested in your views as to why ex-pats do/are leaving Cyprus. I am not sure if there are more than usual leaving or not, but Veronica's knowledgeable replies indicate that rents and some re-sale prices are quite low at the moment. I presume that this is in the main due to the huge glut of properties available from developers who were unable to sell, although some posts indicate otherwise. Given that the cost of living is perhaps slightly lower than in the UK and the wonderful climate unarguably better, I am slightly puzzled. Presumably most people either sell their UK properties and buy something in Cyprus, or rent out their UK property for income so it is unlikely to be the cost of housing. 

When I lived in Cyprus I was astonished at the number of people from the UK who found that the reality of living in Cyprus did not always equate to their 'dream', but I always toy with the idea of coming back, so it would be nice to hear the members' opinions about this nowadays as I have been absent now for more than 20 years!


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## hiatusxenia (May 6, 2013)

By the way, speaking as someone who is half Greek - I am quite confident in saying that Greeks would not know 'organic' if it popped out of the ground and bit them on the proverbial, and Pete is correct in that it is something that they only pay lip service to. (I mean this in the nicest possible way, being fully cogniscant of the Greek psyche).

Notwithstanding the above - fresher and less intensively farmed than most areas in Europe, I am sure. Enjoy!


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

hiatusxenia said:


> Dear Pete,
> 
> I love your detailed and precise replies! I wish that when I had lived in Cyprus I had known you or someone like you. You really are a font of knowledge.
> 
> I would be very interested in your views as to why ex-pats do/are leaving Cyprus.


Thank you. I always ensure that there is evidence to back up the accuracy of statements, something I wish others would do on forums particularly on Facebook where there is an astonishing amount of mis-information and plain lies posted as truths despite easily obtained knowledge to show the contrary.

As far as my views on why people are leaving Cyprus, I think it clear from the early posts on this thread that a) there is no mass exodus and b) there is always movement of people in and out.

This is true of many countries and from what I read the major reasons to leave are healthcare and family, particularly the need to be with grandchildren. I am sure that there are also people wearing the rose tinted spectacles that we all wore on arrival who become disillusioned when the tint wears thin. It may be the idiotic side of bureaucracy, the gross inefficiency of the legal system, the lack of service ethic or the criminal activities by developers that causes this.

To quote someone on another forum: Cyprus is paradise, if you can stand it !!!

Pete


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## hissyfits (May 5, 2013)

One of the things that has most definitely changed is that many are renting rather than buying. A sensible move considering the title deeds problem and the bad publicity generated by some of the islands developers. I know many, that because they rent, just feel that it is easy to move back to the UK for a few months or try other areas. More "ins and outs" than a mass exodus perhaps?


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## Rema (Aug 12, 2012)

hissyfits said:


> One of the things that has most definitely changed is that many are renting rather than buying. A sensible move considering the title deeds problem and the bad publicity generated by some of the islands developers. I know many, that because they rent, just feel that it is easy to move back to the UK for a few months or try other areas. More "ins and outs" than a mass exodus perhaps?



Interesting information from the KPMG update on the Cyprus economy;

Sales of real estate in Cyprus increased in August, for the sixth consecutive month of the year.
During the month, a total of 335 contracts for the purchase property were submitted to Land Registry offices across Cyprus, representing a 25.9% increase on the 266 contracts submitted during the same period of last year.
During the eight months to August 2014, the total number of properties sold in Cyprus reached 2.995, a 23.2% increase when compared to the 2.399 sold during the first eight months of 2013 (Source: Gold News).


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## Baywatch (Mar 30, 2014)

Rema said:


> Interesting information from the KPMG update on the Cyprus economy;
> 
> Sales of real estate in Cyprus increased in August, for the sixth consecutive month of the year.
> During the month, a total of 335 contracts for the purchase property were submitted to Land Registry offices across Cyprus, representing a 25.9% increase on the 266 contracts submitted during the same period of last year.
> During the eight months to August 2014, the total number of properties sold in Cyprus reached 2.995, a 23.2% increase when compared to the 2.399 sold during the first eight months of 2013 (Source: Gold News).


It would be very interesting to know how many of these buyers that is foreign. Not so many I assume,

And the figure can seem impressive but starts from very low volumes. 2008 12000+ properties were sold


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## Cleo Shahateet (Feb 23, 2009)

Baywatch said:


> It would be very interesting to know how many of these buyers that is foreign. Not so many I assume,
> 
> And the figure can seem impressive but starts from very low volumes. 2008 12000+ properties were sold


We have had only 2 Cypriot buyers so far this year - the majority are and have always been from the UK whether they are living in the UK, Dubai or Saudi, followed by other EU nationals, Russia and Lebanon. There is the odd Australian or other nationality but the vast majority for the 9 years I have been in business are from the areas I mentioned. This year has been extremely busy. Rema's figures definitely seem accurate as we have seen a huge jump in website traffic and buyers requesting viewings and planning trips to view homes.


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## Rema (Aug 12, 2012)

Cleo Shahateet said:


> We have had only 2 Cypriot buyers so far this year - the majority are and have always been from the UK whether they are living in the UK, Dubai or Saudi, followed by other EU nationals, Russia and Lebanon. There is the odd Australian or other nationality but the vast majority for the 9 years I have been in business are from the areas I mentioned. This year has been extremely busy. Rema's figures definitely seem accurate as we have seen a huge jump in website traffic and buyers requesting viewings and planning trips to view homes.



I really believe things are looking up for Cyprus and am pleased we bought in 2012 rather than rented, we took a risk and it has paid off handsomely. We have friends who have bought and some who rent however more often the renters never seem to be truly 'at home' in their property. Don't think I have anything against renting, each to their own. I personally have both owned and rented previously and I know having your own place is more satisfying. If you are going to relocate then its best done with 100% intent. Feel the fear and do it anyway!

The better things get presumably the higher property prices will go. I know some think we are still in the doldrums and there is a long way to go; jobs are still scarce and there are many problems at state level but progress is being made. My cup is defiantly half full!


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

Baywatch said:


> It would be very interesting to know how many of these buyers that is foreign. Not so many I assume,
> 
> And the figure can seem impressive but starts from very low volumes. 2008 12000+ properties were sold


I agree with Cleo that most sales are still to foreign buyers. We do get enquiries from Cypriots but they very rarely result in sales. Most of our clients are still British and there is a definite increase in business especially in the last few months.
Confidence is returning and as the land registry is issuing title deeds faster there are more properties coming onto the market which have their title deeds so there is more choice for those looking to buy resales with deeds.


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## expatantigua (Feb 16, 2014)

hissyfits said:


> One of the things that has most definitely changed is that many are renting rather than buying. A sensible move considering the title deeds problem and the bad publicity generated by some of the islands developers. I know many, that because they rent, just feel that it is easy to move back to the UK for a few months or try other areas. More "ins and outs" than a mass exodus perhaps?


We originally fully intended to buy here (Stenni). 
Got as far as a solicitor, title deeds drawn up (land only, naturally) BUT employed a surveyor.

Despite it being a new house, it totally failed the survey as despite 100,000 Euros spent on landscaping the 500 Euro expenditure on a DPC was not spent!

Thus the concrete base was already suffering from "_*concrete cancer*_".

This already showed signs of damp in the lower floors and would have caused the house to (effectively) fall down in about 20 years.
We were devastated.
We now rent and after being here nearly a year still love Cyprus but will keep our home in the U.K. (rented) and hope to find a builder who fully complies with EU regulations.


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## Rema (Aug 12, 2012)

expatantigua said:


> We originally fully intended to buy here (Stenni).
> Got as far as a solicitor, title deeds drawn up (land only, naturally) BUT employed a surveyor.
> 
> Despite it being a new house, it totally failed the survey as despite 100,000 Euros spent on landscaping the 500 Euro expenditure on a DPC was not spent!
> ...


If you would like details of the company that built our place PM me. The MD is a Cypriot but trained as an architect in UK, he runs in my opinion, a very competent (and honest!) business


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