Specific performance
A court order making the seller transfer the property to the buyer. In Cyprus, a buyer secures this right by depositing the sale contract with the DLS within six months.
Updated 12 Oct 2026How it works
Specific performance is a court order that makes a party carry out a contract, instead of only paying damages. For property in Cyprus, the Sale of Immovable Property (Specific Performance) Law 81(I)/2011 lets a buyer ask the court to order the transfer of the property, provided the sale contract was deposited at the District Land Office.
According to the DLS, the contract must be deposited within six months of signing; a later deposit needs the court's permission. Contracts signed up to 31 December 2025 also had to be stamped first. Stamp duty was abolished from 1 January 2026, so newer contracts need no stamp. Since 12 December 2023, the seller must also attach a search certificate dated within five working days of the contract, and in 2026 the lodging form became DE 314.
Once deposited, the contract:
- creates an encumbrance on the property that ranks from the date of deposit;
- generally prevents a later sale contract for the same property from being deposited;
- can be assigned as security to the bank that lends you the money.
Why it matters when you buy
Without a deposited contract, a buyer whose seller will not transfer is generally left with a claim for damages. With one, you can ask the court for the property itself.
Deposit does not make you the owner, and it does not override mortgages registered before it. That is why a developer's earlier mortgage can still block the title, as trapped buyers have found.