Damage of the pool law to Cyprus real estate and tourism sector. #CyprusNews

officials to fulfill the demands. "This stance is really damaging tourism in Cyprus and the real estate market. We encourage people to come here on holiday and invest in property and then deprive them of the benefits because of this stupid law. There is a big gap here that could easily be fixed," she told Cyprus Mail.

To obtain a license for a public swimming pool, a number of requirements must be met which cannot be met by most properties in Cyprus. These include specific construction and equipment requirements, having a qualified lifeguard and a professional pool care supervisor. A lifeguard must be on duty for the entire period of the pool's operation.

But according to''EU standards, complexes where the pool is used by property owners, their guests and families are classified as type 3 pools. This means that they are subject to different standards and do not require lifeguards and many other conditions. According to these European standards, "public" pools are defined as "open to all or to a specific group of users, not only to the family and guests of the owner/owners/operator regardless of entrance fees. "

"To change the law, all you have to do is suggest changes and the Home Office has to take action. This can be done quite easily," Leblanc added. With minor additions, the European standard could be quickly implemented, she said.

And now''it seemed that private villas offered for rent on Airbnb and similar sites were next in line. Complex owners are being told they don't have the necessary license to operate the pool because it is considered public. "We are forced to close our public pool because we simply don't have the space in the garden around the pool to add toilets or showers and we can't afford to hire a lifeguard. We are all furious and the value of my house has gone down. They (the authorities) are just happy to take our money and forget about us. I would advise buyers from abroad to be very careful when buying property in Cyprus," said one concerned owner in Paphos, who wishes to remain anonymous.

A public property expert living in''Limassol's Russell Flick launched an online petition to change the law, but has so far failed to gather the necessary 8,000 signatures.

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He said that the law needs to be urgently reviewed and "common sense applied". He added that Paphos district is currently the only area on the island to apply these laws so strictly. "A few years ago, almost overnight, some 180 complexes in Paphos were closed down because of this law. They were built and handed over even though the pools were not up to standard. As a result, the owners could not rent them out and significantly reduced their chances of selling them," he said.

The requirement to have a lifeguard is unreasonable and the law should be more flexible, he added. In addition, Airbnb''has also come under scrutiny, and owners of vacation rental villas may be required to have a lifeguard. "If a pool is used for commercial purposes, standards should be set, such as safe design and a certified pool cleaner, for example, but there's no point in laying down the law if it can't be enforced. It's all about proportionality here: if it's a 200-unit complex, there should be a lifeguard, but if it's only 10 units, it's just not possible," Flick said.

The owners of a 10-unit complex in Paphos with a public pool insisted on a license and recently obtained one. "Firstly, there are not enough lifeguards for the beaches in Paphos, where will we get more from for the pools and how will people pay for them'''wages? It's impossible,'" said management committee secretary Neil Hughes.

The owners received a letter stating that their public pool was operating without a license and that they needed to act or shut it down. Three weeks later, a representative inspected the facility and warned that if they did not comply with the law, they would be fined €85 per day per violation or the pool would be closed. "We are all owners or long-term tenants, there are no short-term rentals here. We have all decided to keep the pool for our own use and to ensure the value of our property is maintained," said Hughes.

The lengthy process led to a certificate of completion, followed by''s visit by security and hygiene officers, who informed the owners of the need to add changing rooms, toilets and showers. "We would never use them, our houses are a few steps away, we all shower in our apartments," he said.

There was also a need for a first aid kit and chair, and then there was the question of the availability of a lifeguard. "On the next visit we provided a lifeguard who showed all the paperwork. Officers are aware that he is not always on site, although we were issued with a license a few weeks ago, but we have to put signs around the pool saying it is closed." Despite the pool now being deemed 'legal' and costing €2,000, it is only 'officially' open for one hour a week when there should