The most important thing is to be honest with yourself and your agent, this will avoid you being shown property outside your true price range and in areas which really are not suitable. As agents we are aware if a Landlord will consider a lesser amount than advertised and will always suggest you view these properties if the location and requirements are right for you.
Make a “Wish List” so that you can give your rental agent a good idea of your requirements. Of course it will be almost impossible to tick every box but hopefully many of the important things will be covered.  Also ensure you mention if you have pets that will be coming with you or you intend getting a pet when you arrive.Some Landlords have a strict “No Pet Rule “no matter how well behaved yours may be.

Here are just a few important things to consider.

Location...... Do you want to be central or in a suburb of Paphos or Limassol with all amenities closeby? Would you prefer to be a little further out of the towns, in villages within a 10 minute drive of the main towns? Maybe a more rural setting is for you , around 20 – 25 minutes by car to the main town or even perhaps a coastal location?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Rental Amount per month ......Think about the monthly amount you comfortably can pay taking into consideration other costs you will be responsible for : - Rubbish collection (annual charges around €100 - 120) . Swimming pool cleaning and chemicals, employing someone to look after your pool will cost around €70 per month plus chemicals.  You could of course do this yourself and save. Other costs will include electricity and water bills .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Property Size ...... A common mistake is to rent a larger property than required  to accommodate visitors, if you only expect visitors a couple of weeks a year it will probably be cheaper to rent them one of the many self catering holiday homes available. So consider carefully the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, whether you want a private swimming pool or access to a communal pool, how suitable is the property  for your pets?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Length Of Tenancy ...... Long Term Tenancy Agreements. Most tenancy agreements run for a minimum period of 12 months with a 1 month notice to terminate at the end of the agreement. Of course if you are happy in the property there is usually the option to renew the lease. Some tenants and landlords are willing to sign agreements for longer if preferred. Short or Mid Term Tenancies. Occasionally we are able to offer shorter tenancies of anything from 1 – 12 months but these are  rare and  normally during the winter months as these owners often choose to offer their property to holiday makers during the summer months.                                                                                                                                                             

Availability of Schools in the Area.  Will your child/children be attending a Greek school or one of the private English Medium schools? What distance are you prepared to drive to school each day?   

Finally when you find a suitable property you will be required to pay a security deposit equivalent to 1 or (in a few cases) 2 months rent plus the first months rent in advance. This payment is needed at the time of signing the tenancy agreement and will secure the property for you. The tenant will normally also be required to change the billing details for services (electricity and possibly water) into their name. This should be done at the time of taking occupancy when both Landlord( or Landlords agent) and Tenant will agree meter readings. A deposit will also be required by the electricity authority, currently as of January 2012, a figure of €100 but may be subject to change.