Trevor’s Tips – April 2014
By Trevor Hughes
Wills
Those of you who have decided to re-write a Will yourself, upon registering the 
new one with the Registrar; you must take stamps totalling 46TL, plus a further 1x 6TL stamp!! All pages must be signed by you and the two [2] witnesses, otherwise your new Will cannot be registered with the Registrar. Remember, all signatures MUST be in BLUE ink [not black as used in the UK], otherwise your Will cannot be accepted by the Registrar!!!!!
Adding a name on your Vehicle Log Book
The price of adding a name onto your Log Book has gone up yet again. The new price is 
now 325TL plus a 10TL stamp. Always remember, when purchasing an alternative vehicle, always have all your names entered onto the Log Book when registering the new purchase, it will save you lots of money and heartache if one of the owners passes away.
New Insurance Tariffs
MOTOR/MOTOR CYCLE INSURANCE
With effect from Monday the 3rd March 2014, all motor vehicle and motor cycle insurance calculations have changed.
The TRNC Insurance Association has bought into line their vehicle premium calculations, similar to the system operating in the UK.
Full comprehensive insurance premiums are now calculated taking into account:-
AGE OF THE DRIVER
ENGINE SIZE OF THE MACHINE
VALUE OF THE VEHICLE
PREVIOUS INSURANCE CLAIMS
TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS
If you wish to take out full comprehensive insurance, it is still mandatory to take out third party insurance as well. Policy documents can only be produced if all the relevant criteria has been entered into the computer system. There is no deviation and all insurance companies must follow the same procedure. Any deviation from the set procedure will result in the insurance company being fined for every inaccurate policy produced.
If you intend to shop around for the best deal, you will find that all quotations will be exactly the same!! The only difference could be the level of service provided. Dagli Sigorta is the market leader regarding the level of service their customers enjoy.
There is an award for good driving and owners can benefit from a no claims discount facility.
After the first year, if there has not been a claim made against the policy, drivers will benefit from a 10% discount on their renewal. A further 10% discount per year will be added for a clear record, year on year, up to a maximum of 40%. If a claim is made, all discount claims will be wiped off the owner’s record and you will need to start accumulating a clean record again!! If a company was offering a 
higher no claims discount over the 40% maximum, they will need to adjust their premiums in order to fall in line with everyone else.
Third party insurance does not benefit from any of the no claims discount facilities and the premiums are also subject to the engine size criteria.
Insurance companies now link into each other, and will eventually link into Police Authority records. Drivers who have failed to comply with the ROAD TRAFFIC ACT, and are caught using the phone whilst driving, or driving whilst over the alcohol limit for example, will mean the no claims history will be erased. All insurance companies are sharing information, so no one will be able to “beat” the system!!!!!!
Under the new system, drivers will have their premiums either reduced or increased, depending on the driver’s personal/car criteria. All drivers face the same pricing calculation whatever insurance agency you choose!!
If you suffer a road traffic accident and no one is injured, or if the accident has not involved an official car, or there is not a driver dispute, there will not be a need to inform the police. However, if you are involved in a motor incident with another vehicle and they are at fault, we recommend that Dagli Sigorta customers inform me [0533 844 3403] and the police [155 telling them there is a dispute]. Because the guilty party may decide to change their story, and claim the accident was your fault. This may affect your no claims bonus. Always take a photograph, as this will support your accident claim.
The Government has made these changes in the hope that police time spent recording accidents, can be better spent making our roads safer and catch people who flaunt the Traffic Regulations. Drivers with a poor driving record could see their insurance premiums double and there will be a sliding scale of surcharges depending on the size of the damage claim, during the previous year. This also applies to third party policy holders as well.
The new system is somewhat cumbersome to operate and unless we enter all the relevant information into the computer, estimates can only be general. When we have received all the relevant
information we can confirm the premium cost and produce a policy document for you. Please be a little patient whilst we all learn the new system.
Dagli Sigorta has many extras for their customers which are not matched by any of their competitors. Why not give them a call on 0533 844 3403 and find out about the many advantages of becoming a Dagli Sigorta customer.
Hospitals
One of our readers has asked me to say that not all hospitals act in an unscrupulous way and there are several excellent hospitals in the TRNC, offering superb service and are very much patient focused.
Financial Loans
One of our readers applied for a car loan and when she went to the office to 
sign the documents, she noticed there was a charge of 300TL. When asked for an explanation, she was told that it was for the documents to be translated from Turkish to English. The fact that this person is a Turkish Cypriot and could speak and read the language fluently, was the translation of the documents really necessary? After a few minutes discussion, her demand to cancel the translation charge was agreed.
When applying for a financial loan, always ask if there are any hidden charges and if so, what are they for and what is the cost?
£50.00 Notes
With effect from the 1st May 2014, the old £50.00 bank notes [sterling] will become obsolete in the TRNC. The only way to change these notes into the new notes from 1st May this year, is by way of handing them to a bank here, who will then send them to the Central Bank in Turkey for changing
into legal tender. The Central Bank will then send the exchanged notes to the bank you first gave them to, for changing. This could take weeks!!
Banks and Money Exchanges will not recognise them as legal tender from this date. Take care when receiving £50.00 notes in your purchase change, some people will try and off load them on you. Remember when the current Lira coins changed?????
The U K Chancellor has used his latest Budget to announce a switchover in 2017, of the current £1 coin presently in circulation to a newly designed 12 sided £1 coin. The new design is similar to the old three penny coin which was taken out of circulation in 1971. I know this announcement is some distance away, but if you do not want to be off loaded with obsolete coins in 2017, you will need to keep the changeover fixed in your mind. Of course, English currency smaller than a £5.00 note is not recognised in the TRNC anyway.
The High Cost of Electricity
Are your electricity bills going through the “roof”?
Are you on “builder’s electric”?
Can’t make headway in trying to get a “substation” built and commissioned?
Are you at the mercy of Kibtec and suffer from numerous power cuts?
Well here’s the answer
For a small investment, you can overcome all these annoyances and benefit from:
Free Electricity.Run your air conditioning units, 24/7 free of charge.
Heat the water in your swimming pool in the winter, free of charge.
Cook on electric appliances, free of charge.
Run everything electric free of charge.
Kibtec will even credit you for the unused electricity your system produces overnight, making your investment costs faster to recoup.
Add value to your property.
The system makes your property even more appealing to the next buyer.
The system size can vary depending on your needs and budget. Why not start off with a smaller system and build up as and when your needs dictate?
With over 320 days of sunshine, Cyprus it is the ideal climate to have a Eco Free Electric system fitted, which can take only a couple of days to install. There is a 25 year performance guarantee, and 12 year product warranty on the system, which all come as standard.
Eco Free Electric Renewable Energy Company, based in Karakum, Girne, has been installing Renewable Energy systems for the past 15 years and since September 2013 have been installing systems in North Cyprus.
For a free, no obligation energy assessment and quotation please call 0392 815 5902 or Sefik 0533 832 6122 / Paul 0533 875 7239.
Turkey Visa
The new on line facilities for obtaining a Turkish entry visa are suspended until 1st January 2015. If you are entering Turkey, the old system of paying for your visa is still by way of the old method. The only currency accepted is Sterling, or Euro, or by an accepted credit card [not a “Card Plus” Card at the moment].
Property Tax
The Government announced earlier this year, that a reduction in the 3%
property tax for properties for first time buyers who have not yet registered their property, will be lowered in March to a new 1% tax levy. This will remain in force up until July 2014. Because the amendment has not been “rubber stamped” by President Eroglu yet, the 3% tax levy still remains in operation at the moment.
If you are currently going through your title deeds application, maybe you should hold fire for a while, because in the next couple of weeks or so, the reduction of tax will be ratified by him.
Bayram Holidays
Wednesday the 23rd April 2014 is an official Bayram holiday, where Banks, Government Departments and Local Government offices will be closed for the day. DON’T FORGET THE CLOCKS GO FORWARD ONE HOUR ON 30TH MARCH 2014
Editors note: The opinions, advice or proposals within the article are entirely those of the author and do not, in any way, represent those of Cyprusscene.com.
