Long term rent North West coast / Argaka

you dont pay agents costs here that is the liability of the owner

Thank you Toon  - much appreciated, will keep that in mind

When we were in Cyprus in January our friends (who live there) mentioned that it can be cheaper to go direct to owners/local contacts (as rent costs can be higher where owners add on agent costs that they cover)

appreciate all your support on this site :-)

I am not a Cyrpus expert by any means but do understand Greek thinking.   I would not want to try and rent anything long term without first seeing the property in person and meeting the landlord.

When I lived in Greece, it was very common for new arrivals to move 2 or more times for various reasons.  I moved once because the street noise from scooters/motorcycles at night was a constant.  I moved another time because the landlord thought he could stop by for little or no real reason, frequently.   Those seemed to be common issues.

I would also go with a private rental rather than through any kind of agency.  I doubt many locals use agencies. 

My advice would be to arrive in the 'off' season when there are plenty of tourist self-catering apartments sitting empty.  It should be relatively easy to rent one at a reasonable rent by the month for your first few months.  That then gives you till the start of the tourist season to find something more permanent.

To be fair it can take time to find the right place we are now on our fourth place  in 2.5 yrs and we now have a real prospect of a truly long term rental here... the first place we left early and lost our deposit because of excessive hunting dog barking (3am to 11pm daily)... the second we also left at the end of the 6 month lease due to excessive holiday makers antics on a small complex, the third we left at the end of 12months as it was really too big and the owner wouldnt do the repairs required  - altho he did want us to stay..

anyway we have a fab place now and we are truly happy and feel at home - we have a fab landlord and agent...... detached two bed bungalow, gated drive with car port, own private pool, gardens with fruit trees, fully furnished to a high standard and a basement which we use as a further living room in winter.....
and only €500 per month and about to sign a 5 yr deal

so dont be too strict initially but know and learn what you really need - it is out there for you....

A good example of my point Toon.  Four places in 2.5 years is not unusual in my experience. 

Here's another reason.  A couple I knew, moved into a place and were quite happy with it for several months.  Then one day they started to notice this horrible smell in the back garden.  Going out to investigate, the guy found he was walking in mud, mud that included human waste.

Like many places in Greece, there was a septic tank and it was overflowing.  Unlike septic tank systems in other countries, where pipes lead out from the septic tank to get rid of the liquid component and leave only the solids collecting in the tank and being decomposed into liquid form over time, there is often no 'leaching bed' connected to a septic tank in Greece.  It fills up with solids and liquids and then must be pumped out.  Got the picture?

Add to that, the common practice of waiting until it overflows before having it pumped out and there you have it.

So you learn to check on how sewage is handled when renting a place, not assume it is connected to a town sewage drain.  Again, I don't have direct experience in Cyprus.