A consumer in Cyprus has statutory rights against the seller of faulty goods under Law 154(I)/2021, and they run on numbers worth memorising: liability for two years from delivery with the defect presumed present at delivery, repair or replacement free of charge within twenty five days, a right to reject entirely within the first thirty days, and a refund within thirty days of return on termination. The rights bind whatever the shop's "policy" says: terms cutting them down in advance are not binding on the consumer.
The conversation at the returns desk usually runs on folklore: no refunds after seven days, only a credit note, the guarantee expired, take it up with the manufacturer. Since 1 January 2022 the actual rules have been in a single statute, the law on certain aspects of contracts for the sale of goods, Law 154(I)/2021, and they are considerably stronger than the folklore, in the consumer's favour, on almost every point.
This guide is for the buyer holding the faulty appliance, the phone that will not update, or the sofa that arrived damaged, and equally for the honest retailer who wants to know what the law actually requires before the argument starts.
Who it covers, and what counts as faulty
Under section 3, the Law applies to sales of goods between a consumer and a seller: shop sales, online sales by traders, goods still to be manufactured, and goods with digital elements, where embedded digital content is presumed part of the sale in case of doubt. Private sales between individuals are outside it, which is one of the first questions asked about second-hand purchases.
Conformity is measured two ways: against what the contract promised, and against what goods of that kind objectively ought to be, in quantity, quality, durability and fitness. The everyday cases fit without strain: the machine that stops working, the product that does not match its description, the item missing what the listing showed.
Two years, and a presumption that does the heavy lifting
Under section 10(1), the seller is liable for any lack of conformity that existed at delivery and becomes apparent within two years of delivery. For used goods the parties may agree a shorter period, but never below one year: the second-hand dealer's "sold as seen" does not reach lower than that.
The presumption is the consumer's strongest card. Under section 11(1), a lack of conformity that becomes apparent within the two years is presumed to have existed at delivery, unless the seller proves otherwise or the presumption cannot fit the nature of the goods or of the defect. The consumer does not prove the washing machine left the factory faulty; the seller proves it did not.
One duty sits on the consumer's side of the ledger. Under section 12, to exercise the remedies the consumer must notify the seller of the lack of conformity within a period of at least two months from discovering it. Do it in writing, keep the copy, and the rest of the machinery is available; sit on the defect for half a year and the argument becomes unnecessarily hard.
The ladder of remedies, with its numbers
Section 13 arranges the remedies in a ladder. First, free restoration of conformity: repair or replacement, at the consumer's choice, unless the chosen one is impossible or disproportionately expensive compared with the other. Under section 14, that repair or replacement must be free, completed within a reasonable time not exceeding twenty five days from notification, with any extension needing the consumer's express consent, and without significant inconvenience. The section even covers the paperwork: receipts on handover and return, and, on request, a written report of the technical inspection and its findings. Where repair means uninstalling something properly installed, removal and reinstallation are the seller's cost.
The second rung unlocks when the first fails. Under section 13(4), the consumer may move to a proportionate price reduction under section 15, or termination under section 16, where the seller has not completed repair or replacement as section 14 requires, has refused, where a lack of conformity appears again despite the attempt, where the lack is so serious as to justify going straight there, or where the seller has made clear that conformity will not be restored in time or without significant inconvenience. One fix is the seller's ordinary allowance; the machine that fails again after its repair has normally earned the consumer the choice of money back.
Two provisions complete the ladder. Under section 13(5), termination is not available for an insignificant lack of conformity, and it is the seller who bears the burden of showing insignificance. And under section 13(6), the consumer may withhold any unpaid balance of the price until the seller performs.
The first thirty days: rejection
Under section 13(7), where the lack of conformity becomes apparent within thirty days of delivery, the consumer may reject the goods and terminate the contract outright, or demand immediate replacement, without climbing the ladder at all, subject only to the insignificance rule. The brand-new product that fails in its first month is not a repair negotiation: it is a choice that belongs to the buyer.
On termination, section 16 settles the mechanics that usually cause the friction: the consumer returns the goods at the seller's expense, and the seller refunds the price within thirty calendar days of receiving the goods or proof of their return. Where only some items in a bundle are faulty, termination can cover them and anything bought with them that cannot reasonably be kept alone.
Why the shop's policy does not decide
Under section 19, any contractual term that excludes, derogates from or varies these measures to the consumer's detriment, agreed before the lack of conformity was brought to the seller's knowledge, is not binding on the consumer. The notice by the till, the line on the receipt, the "no refunds" sign: none of them can take away what the statute gives. A commercial guarantee can add to the statutory rights; it can never replace them, and pointing the buyer to the manufacturer is not an answer the seller is entitled to give.
Where the seller will not move, section 29 gives the consumer whose economic interests are harmed an individual action before the court for damages, termination, price reduction or any other reasonable remedy. For most disputes of this size the letter that cites the sections precisely is the step that ends the matter, and our guide to the letter before action covers how it is put.
What to send us
The receipt or order confirmation with the delivery date, because every period above runs from it. Photographs of the defect, the exchange with the seller so far, and any repair paperwork, especially where a first repair has already failed. If the goods were used when bought, the listing or contract, because the one year floor and what was disclosed both matter.
Questions we are asked
The shop says the guarantee was only one year. Is that the end of it?
No. The commercial guarantee is a promise on top of the statute, never a substitute for it. Under section 10(1) of Law 154(I)/2021 the seller is liable for two years from delivery for a lack of conformity existing at delivery, and under section 19 a term cutting that down in advance does not bind the consumer. The one place a shorter period is allowed is used goods, by agreement, and never below one year.
Do I have to prove the product was faulty when I bought it?
Usually the opposite. Under section 11(1), a lack of conformity that becomes apparent within two years of delivery is presumed to have existed at delivery, unless the seller proves otherwise or the presumption cannot fit the nature of the goods or of the defect. Your job is the practical one: notify the seller in writing within two months of discovering the fault, and keep the delivery date evidence.
How long can the repair take?
Section 14 requires repair or replacement free of charge, within a reasonable time not exceeding twenty five days from your notification, extendable only with your express consent, and without significant inconvenience. You are also entitled, on request, to a written report of the technical inspection. A repair that drags past the period, or a fault that returns after it, moves you to price reduction or termination under section 13(4).
It broke in the first week. Must I accept a repair?
No. Under section 13(7), where the lack of conformity appears within thirty days of delivery you may reject the goods and terminate, or demand immediate replacement, provided the defect is not insignificant, and it is the seller who must prove insignificance. On termination the return travels at the seller's expense and the refund is due within thirty calendar days of the return.
The seller says I must claim from the manufacturer.
Your statutory rights under Law 154(I)/2021 are against the seller, who cannot redirect them. The seller who pays has a statutory right of redress up the chain under section 18, and that is the seller's business, not yours. A manufacturer's guarantee may give you an additional route; it removes nothing from the one you already have.
I bought it second-hand from a dealer. Do the rights apply?
Yes: the Law covers used goods sold by a trader to a consumer. What changes is the permitted period: the parties may agree a liability period shorter than two years, but under section 10(1) it cannot be below one year. A purely private sale between individuals is outside the Law, which is why who the seller was is the first question in second-hand disputes.
Related reading
This work sits within our litigation practice. The letter that opens a claim properly is in the letter before action, what an agreement needs to bind at all is in oral agreements in Cyprus, and the deadlines across subjects sit in the limitation calculator.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws and their application can change, and individual circumstances differ. For advice on your own matter, contact Klitos Platis at klitos@kleanthousplatis.com or telephone +357 22 680 330.
Klitos Platis
Advocate, Partner
Kleanthous & Platis LLC, Nicosia · Published 22 August 2026
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