Key tips before buying a property

Buying a property is one of the biggest financial decisions, and legal due diligence before contracting is what protects you from later surprises. These are the main steps before paying anything.

1. The seller’s title: ask for the original title document and check its type: a contract registered at the Real Estate Registry, a preliminary contract, or a court judgment. Review the chain of ownership from the original owner to the current seller and make sure it is unbroken.

2. Land registry certificate: obtain from the competent Real Estate Registry office a certificate of the dispositions recorded against the property, to find out whether there is a mortgage, a lien, an earlier disposal or a registered lawsuit.

3. Licences and violations: check the building licence and that the building complies with it, whether there are violations, demolition orders or reconciliation requests, and the status of utilities and property tax.

4. The seller’s capacity: verify the seller’s identity and legal capacity. If the sale is by power of attorney, check that it is valid and allows selling and receiving the price; if the property belongs to heirs, all of them or their legal representatives must sign.

5. Inspection: inspect the property yourself and make sure its area and boundaries match the documents and that it is not rented or occupied by others.

6. Contract and payment: write a detailed contract covering the description and boundaries, the price, payment and handover dates, and the seller’s obligation to register and hand over documents, and pay by a documented method.

7. Registration: ownership of real estate legally passes only by registration at the Real Estate Registry. A signature-validity lawsuit only proves that the signature is the seller’s; it does not prove ownership and does not replace registration.

Do not sign a preliminary contract or pay a deposit before the documents have been legally reviewed.