Rental nightmares in Cyprus

Have you ever arrived at a rental that was completely different from the listing? No never, as always do my homework on a property and the area it is in. Plenty of site visits in and around it at various times of morning day and night

What is the strangest or most surprising thing you have discovered in a rental property? Can't say I have except maybe I have come across are strange property layouts

Have you ever had to leave a place because it felt unsafe or unlivable? No .. except to say communal living is not for everyone and certainly wasn't for us. We did buy on a complex but left after three years  rented it out to a lovely tenant  and now rent somewhere else to live. Do what makes you happy.

Did you deal with pests, noisy neighbors, strange building rules, or difficult landlords? It Cyprus it's hot, some pests are to be expected, mozzies, noseeums, spiders of all sizes, lizards, mantis, chameleons, slugs, snakes lots of insects but all can be managed. Neighbours usually have been fine but you do get the occasional difficult ones, some rules can be strange  especially on complexes but generally they're for good reasons. Glad to say never ever had a bad landlord in 18 years renting both in Malta (6yrs) and now Cyprus (12yrs). A total of 4 in Malta and 4 in Cyprus ...Chinese (1) Maltese (4) Cypriot(1) and British (2)

What warning signs should newcomers watch out for before renting in Cyprus? Never rent without seeing it, NB ever hand money over unless you have the keys and a legal stamped contract, never contract unless you are sure the person renting to you is legally entitled to do so, always agree the Inventory, take fotos of condition and any existing damage, check your contract thoroughly get a second opinion, don't be afraid to make demands and change the contract so that both landlords and tenant agree, make sure both parties know who has liability and responsibility  for utilities etc and anything that might be problematic.

What advice would you give other expats to avoid rental disasters? Check everything, what's included in the rent and what isnt, confirm communal fees are being paid, check for damp, be suspicious of new plaster work and fresh  paintwork in winter. Change your locks as you don't know who has a copy ...keep the old ones to refit in case you need to leave

GOOD LUCK