Cyprus updates rental subsidy criteria and reviews housing policy

On Tuesday, Cypriot Minister of Interior Constantinos Ioannou announced that the government is updating income criteria for rental subsidies during a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Refugees. The minister explained that existing criteria, including outdated provisions regarding household income calculations, are being revised to include more beneficiaries. He noted that the government is currently evaluating the feasibility of increasing both income thresholds and subsidy amounts simultaneously. Additionally, Ioannou stated that increasing the national housing supply is the primary strategy to stabilize real estate prices. Regarding past reforms, he highlighted the recent amendment of legislation governing Turkish Cypriot properties, aimed at improving transparency and reducing abuse. Finally, he reported that changes to the Welfare Service's schemes have reduced citizen complaints by 90% and shortened the application processing time to six months.