With regard to the purchase of land or property, we will look at the different types of freehold Title Deeds.

These properties were owned by Turkish Cypriots, or by other foreign nationals, before 1974. These are internationally recognised deeds known as ‘Turkish Title, or Pre74 Title, or Foreign Title’. These deeds are seen by some as the safest, but there is a premium payable on these deeds.

Turkish Cypriots, who had left properties in the South and came to the safety of the North after July 1974, were given points by the Turkish Cypriot Government calculated on the value of the property which they had left behind.
With these allocated points, The Turkish Cypriot refugees acquired freehold Title Deed of previously Greek Cypriot property in the North, which should, theoretically, be the equivalent value of the property left behind in the South. Then, refugees signed over their properties in the South to the TRNC Government, who is holding them pending a negotiated settlement between the North and South Governments.
A North Cyprus property to which freehold title was acquired in this way by a Turkish Cypriot is known as an Exchange Title Deed Property.
Our feeling is that as the island is heading, albeit slowly slowly, towards some sort of solution, whether it will be a negotiated settlement, or an independence of T.R.N.C, the Exchange ( Esdeger ) Title Deed properties can be considered safe to purchase. These Exchange Title Deeds are very common and widely traded.

The TRNC government also issued deeds to other people, not for a compensation of property left behind in the South, but as a gift, usually in reward for military services, or to mainland Turks to encourage them to move and live in North Cyprus after 1974.
A North Cyprus property to which freehold title was acquired in this way is known as TMD Title Deed property.
These properties are also widely traded throughout the Northern Cyprus.