Buyers check what they can see: the building, the location, the price. What causes trouble later is usually invisible on a site visit and appears only in the register.
The point to stress is that this must happen before the deposit, not after. Most reservation agreements let the seller keep the deposit if the buyer does not proceed, so a buyer who finds a problem afterwards is immediately in a weak position.
We check both private purchases and purchases from a development, which call for different work.
What the title documents show
- The class of title, which determines whether the land can be sold, mortgaged and built on. Some documents confer possession only, not ownership.
- Whether the registered owner is the person offering it for sale.
- The register on the reverse: mortgages, servitudes, usufructs, injunctions and court orders.
- The recorded area and shape against what is on the ground.
- The chain of transfers, which sometimes points to an unresolved problem.
What has to be checked on site
- Access to a public road — a legal right, or merely the neighbour's permission, which can be withdrawn at any time.
- The boundaries against the markers, and any structures encroaching either way.
- Who is in occupation — owner, tenant or occupier — and whether any agreement binds a new buyer.
- Zoning and building restrictions on that plot.
Buying from a development
- Whether the land subdivision or construction permits have been issued.
- The developer company's standing: filed accounts and pending litigation.
- Whether the project land is mortgaged to a bank, and whether each unit is released from that mortgage on transfer.
- The developer's own sale agreement in full, particularly the completion date and what follows from delay.
- For condominiums, how much of the foreign ownership quota remains.
This page is general information, not advice on your situation. Send us the title document and the draft agreement before paying a deposit.