Mould Prevention & Maintenance in Ayia Napa

Ayia Napa's long off-season

Few places in Cyprus change as much between summer and winter as Ayia Napa. Through the season the town is full and properties are in constant use; from late autumn many bars, hotels and holiday flats close, and a lot of owners leave until spring. A home that goes from daily use to no use at all is exactly where mould gets established, with nobody there to notice the first signs. Sea air keeps the indoor air damp even when nobody is cooking or showering, and with the shutters down and the air-conditioning off, nothing moves it.

Properties that benefit from regular checks

• Buy-to-let apartments bought for summer rental income and left empty the rest of the year.
• Villas let by the week, where a single complaint about a damp smell can affect future bookings.
• Homes in nearby villages such as Sotira and Liopetri, owned by people who live elsewhere for part of the year.
• Year-round rentals where the landlord wants an independent eye on winter condensation.
• Properties that have had mould removed and need watching while the conditions that caused it return each winter.

The monthly visit and the two plans

A visit each month keeps humidity down and catches regrowth early. Home Protect costs from €45 a month and covers one property, with one preventive visit a month, a humidity and air check, an early-warning mould scan and priority callouts between visits; it can be cancelled anytime. Plus, from €79 a month, doubles the visits to two a month and adds priority same-day callouts and a quarterly full written report. Plus suits a busy rental where problems need spotting quickly between guests, or an owner who wants a regular written record. Our guide on keeping mould from costing you bookings looks at the rental side.

Preparing a property for the winter

A plan works best alongside a few steps before you lock up: empty the fridge and prop its door open, leave wardrobe and cupboard doors ajar, take bedding and towels out of closed cupboards, and draw curtains back from the windows. Our article on keeping a Cyprus home free of mould has more ideas, and how sea air affects damp indoors explains why a coastal property needs that extra care.