The Cyprus Real Estate Agents Registration Council has issued a call to its members to be prepared for mobilisations, following a meeting of the House legal affairs committee on Tuesday.

The session involved a discussion of a proposed bill by MP Kostis Efstathiou, which would make it mandatory for all property sale contracts in Cyprus to be drafted by lawyers.

In a second announcement related to this matter, both released this week, the council called for the immediate withdrawal or rejection of the proposal, warning that it arbitrarily limits the professional responsibilities of licensed estate agents.

“Unfortunately, our suspicions are being reinforced that the motivations behind the proposed amendment aim to increase the turnover of another professional group,” the council stated.

It added that the proposal had been previously returned by the former President of the Republic, but is now resurfacing.

The council also stressed that it will resist the proposed changes, declaring that it considers them both unfair and unjustified.

“We call on the real estate community to remain alert for mobilisations, if and when deemed necessary,” the council said.

“The immediate withdrawal or rejection of the proposal that arbitrarily restricts the professional duties of estate agents,” it added.

This renewed controversy comes amid growing tension between estate agents and legal professionals over responsibilities in property transactions.

The council has previously argued that forcing all sales contracts through lawyers will raise transaction costs, delay deals, and create a monopoly favouring one profession at the expense of another.

It also warned that the move would not only harm estate agents’ livelihoods but also contradict the EU’s principles of fair competition and market freedom.