Thanks are due!!

[Wee Stumpy]

Many thanks to Happy in Cyprus for providing the inf re Red Tape Resolved and very many thanks to Charis of Red Tape Resolved for resolving my issue with a Defence tax rebate from the Tax Office.
We had initially submitted this claim at the beginning of May and were just getting nowhere with it. Getting through to the Tax Office by phone was difficult and when I did they could give me no information and no idea as to when it would be assessed. We were claiming a refund from 2010 even though I had no idea if we could claim this far back and could not even get a response to this.
On returning from our holiday at the end of September and having rang and e mailed with no response I contacted Charis and went to see him. He made no promises other than he would do his best for us and his best he certainly did as today I have just picked up a lovely cheque which will more than pay both ours and the dogs flights back to the UK!

I have no doubt that without Charis's intervention we would not have received the refund prior to our return to the UK in the New Year!

Thanks once again to both Lloyd and Charis from a very happy bunny!

[juliesewell]

Glad you got it sorted, Shelagh

[Happy in Cyprus]

Great news, Shelagh!

As I've reported before, in a matter of days Charis managed to get my wife's Cyprus State Pension + arrears paid to her, something which we had failed to do over the past two years. We are now working with him on negotiating the release of our Title Deeds under the Trapped Buyers Law.

Every man to his trade they say and Charis is a genius at what he does. But then, having worked for one of the largest developers in Paphos for the past 20 years, he knows his way around the block, is aware of all the diabolical tricks which developers get up to and is familiar with the ways in which government departments and tax authorities work.

[Firefly]

Hi, yes you were very fortunate, MOH is due a refund of income tax for the year 2010. Many letters and calls later, still no sign of any rebate, he has given up now.

Jackie

[Looking Forward9]

Will be pleased if you can supply contact details for Red Tape Resolved, who don't appear to have a web site.

regards

[Happy in Cyprus]

Funnily enough, I was in with Charis this morning for an hour...and I was telling him that he needs to get a website Will PM you his details.

[Wee Stumpy]

You told him he needed a web site - I told him he needed a PA - told him I would have done the job if I had not been returning to the UK!!

[rita sherry]

Lloyd

May I have Charis details too please or is his firm the same as the "Red Tape" adverrtised in Paphos Post etc?

Thank you

Rita

[Happy in Cyprus]

Hi Rita. Without going through the PP I'm not sure, but I have just PM'd you his details. Lloyd

[trevnhil]

Lloyd

May I have Charis details too please or is his firm the same as the "Red Tape" adverrtised in Paphos Post etc?

Thank you

Rita

I don't think Charis is connected to Gwenny's Red Tape service, which I have used and is also very good.

Trev..

[rita sherry]

Lloyd

Thank you

Trev

Thank you also - I think I may have got the wrong advert - the one I have in mind may have a slightly different name. However I too have used Gwenny in the past without any complaint but I feel Charis is the person who may be able to assist mr with my present query.

Best wishes

Rita

[trevnhil]

I would wholeheartedly agree Rita (y)

Trev..

[Happy in Cyprus]

I have used both Gwenny and Charis. They have different areas of expertise and both provide an excellent service. Charis is demonstrably good at getting Cyprus pensions where due, dealing with tax authorities, sorting out fraudulent practices on the part of developers - he used to work for one of the largest, so he knows all the tricks - dealing with the Land Registry and Property Tax issues. Wife and I have accompanied him to different government offices...and he just walzes through these places like he owns them and gets to speak to the person in charge. He is a very direct individual, so puts up with no nonsense and (usually) gets what he wants.

[Wee Stumpy]

Yes he told me that he sat with the tax officer for three hours until she sorted out our claim!! Apparently he had met with her and they had agreed that it would be sorted within the week but when he went back after the week it was still sitting on her desk hence him giving up three hours of his time!!

[Happy in Cyprus]

It's taken us 12 years to wrest our Title Deeds from the developer. Not because the Title Deeds weren't available to collect, but because our developer claimed we owed them a very significant sum, plus interest accruing at 9% annually, before they would allow the Deeds to be released. We felt/knew we were being ripped off...but lacked the expertise to contest the claim. However, with Charis's invaluable assistance, we have now done it.

Being desperate to contest this claim, about two years ago we turned to a well-known firm of lawyers in Paphos. They wanted a fixed up-front fee of €500 and in return for that they would act for us and dispute the claim. We paid the €500, but as the months went by, it became clear they were incapable of delivering on their promise. In fact, they achieved nothing. Hardly surprising I suppose: many of the big name firms of lawyers in Paphos are in cahoots with the developers, from who they derive a lot of business and fee income. Consequently it is not in their interest to upset the applecart (ie. the developers). They go through the motions of making claims against developers on behalf of their clients, but it is largely a charade. After several months of emails to-ing and fro-ing to our developer, the lawyers advice to us was that they could see no basis for disputing the developer's claim...and that we should therefore fork out the sum demanded. We did not do so of course...and left it at that.

Thankfully, earlier this year I read a thread on CL about the subject of this thread, Charis Charalambous, of Red Tape Resolved. I need to cut a very long story short here, but suffice to say that as a consequence of Charis involvement over many months, we have now struck a deal €10,500 less than originally demanded by the developer. A good chunk of what we paid we will be able to reclaim from the Tax Office and Charis has already set about claiming this. In addition to this saving, Charis saved us a further €900 by registering us under the Trapped Buyers Scheme.

After many months of writing letters, sending e-mails, visits to the developer, Land Registry and Tax Office we had feared a huge bill from Charis. But no, it was very, very reasonable. As was his bill for getting my wife's Cyprus State Pension paid out, plus a very significant dollop of arrears.

So peeps, if you are currently having an intractible dispute (of any sort) with your developer, or even a government department (as in Wee Stumpy's earlier post), I can wholeheartedly recommend Charis. He delivers on his promises and his charges are very modest in relation to with what he achieves.

[Austin 7]

I think your story also backs up an opinion I have always held in that if you have that sort of problem (any sort of problem with a Paphos developer) it may well be wise to use a solicitor from, say, Nicosia and certainly not Paphos..

[Maramike]

I also had an increasing 'debt' from my developer for Immovable Property Tax plus interest at 9% over 14 years. Every time I got a statement (never a demand for payment) I responded by registered post advising him that I would never, ever, pay the amounts quoted and attached a statement showing the amount I was prepared to pay. I never used a lawyer for the reasons Happy in Cyprus mentioned (i.e lining their pocket for no benefit). Eventually like Lloyd our deeds are now available and persistence, supported by my lawyer who is certainly not any developers lackey, resulted in a revised statement of account (with no late payment fees) which almost exactly equates to the amount I calculated as being correct, and €6,000 less than the original amount quoted!. This I paid and have a clear account with the developer.
In the face of determined resistance this whole scam would surely collapse like a pack of cards.

[Boom Boom]

H.I.C
It is rather refreshing to read a success story and also getting
an acceptable result from these many unscrupulous developers.
Could you please advise Charis's details

[Happy in Cyprus]

Boom Boom, emailed you. The nice thing is that Charis's expertise goes way beyond property tax. Not only did he manage to get my wife's pension paid out (story related further up), but for one of his recent Scandinavian clients he found his client had been overtaxed in Cyprus over a number of years to the tune of tens of thousands of Euros, which he is now in the process of recovering. Having worked for one of the big Paphos developers he is privy to all the scams which have been foisted on property-buyers over many years. He knows people in many government departments, so can often expedite matters which would take you and I much longer to sort out.

Mike (maramike), there were other charges under dispute, aside from Property Tax.

[Petit Mousse]

Good evening "H. in C.". Please pm details of Charis if it is not too much to ask of you. Thank you in advance.

[Happy in Cyprus]

Done, PM. Lloyd

[cornelia]

Thanks to Charis the transfer of our title deeds will be this week after 14 years waiting. We are very happy

Cornelia

[Petit Mousse]

Many thanks Lloyd for your pm., much appreciated.