Real Estate in Greece

Property purchase in Greece

According to Greek law, a property transfer (land, pilot of land by the sea, house, apartment, villa etc.) can only be complete with a notarial contract. Before the transfer, the buyer needs to complete a through legal check of the seller's rights to the property. This inspection is done to determine if there are any burdens affecting the property, such as mortgages, existing mortgage notes, as well as claims like foreclosures or other pending lawsuits against the property.

It is critical that the buyer trusts an experienced lawyer to conduct a thorough legal check that verifies the rights to the property. Only then can the buyer be confident of the situation, whether the property is owned free of encumbrances or not.

This search should be conducted at the Cadastre (the electronic national land register for areas where land registration is complete), as well as the local land register, to fully inspect all rights to the property in hand.

On the other hand, the seller is responsible to issue an array of documents, such as a Green certificate pertaining to the land itself, national insurance clearance and tax clearance. The documentation is constantly changing, so it is crucial to collaborate with professionals who specialize in property transfers.

This article covers just a few issues that the two sides of the property transfer may face before they complete the transaction. Our office’s lawyers have extensive experience in reviewing title deeds, preparing the necessary transfer deed documents, notifying mortgage or secure lenders, banks or building societies, and issuing the necessary documents to accelerate the entire process. They also collaborate with a range of public notaries, civil engineers and accountants, covering all the legal and financial aspects of the procedure, ensuring a safe transaction for all parties involved.

The lawyers undertake all kinds of property transfer cases in Greece, with a particular focus in the regions of Chalkidiki (Halkidiki), Thessaloniki and Central Macedonia.

For more information, you can contact us via e-mail or phone.