LEGAL ADVICE

We provide you with important aspects of property purchase you should know about.

Any member of a European Union state can buy property in Greece without problems, and will be treated in exactly the same manner as a Greek citizen. By Greek law, the solicitor must check the legality of the property, including a check as to whether or not the property is encumbered by a loan or mortgage. A thorough search of the land registry is conducted to ascertain such details. Four types of registers must be checked of by the solicitor before the purchase can proceed: the transcription registry provides details of all previous contracts and the debt registry details of any debt against the property; the vindication register is then checked to confirm that the land is free of any further claims.

We also offer these additional services for our clients:

The solicitor can represent the potential client in all legal procedures, even if you cannot be present at the time of purchase, and should the purchase be of a commercial type of property, the current legal position of the property can be checked.

In the case of land purchase, the solicitor can obtain an official clearance from the forestry office, confirming that the land is not public property. Additionally the transmission by inheritance of the land needs to be authenticated. The land that we offer for sale has in most cases already been through these procedures.

Should a potential client decide to purchase a property, a power of attorney can be arranged through a notary for your chosen solicitor (a power of attorney for property purchases should be given to a person of legal standing). The power of attorney will enable the solicitor (or any other person you entitled) to sign any documents concerning the property on your behalf.

The contracts will be initially issued in Greek, but on request can be translated into English, German or French for an extra charge.

A pre-contract can be signed before the official contract. The official contract, which is signed in the presence of the notary, is the actual contract for the purchase of the property. Because the pre-contract usually includes most of the details to be finalized in the official contract, it is advisable for you to involve your solicitor at this stage.

Prior to the purchase of the property the appropriate tax office will estimate its value. The purchase tax rate is approximately 9% in Greece. The solicitor can apply for a tax number for the client. This tax number is essential for the official contract. The contract will then be processed by the notary. After the contract has been signed, the change of the ownership will be noted in the appropriate registries.