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Acquisition of houses in Croatia

The acquisition of houses in Croatia is fundamentally not more complicated than in Germany, Austria, Holland or Belgium. Our friends from Switzerland need to set up a limited company in Croatia. The reasons for this is that there are not any mutual contracts between Switzerland and Croatia which enables citizens of the respective country to buy real estate without limitations.

But remember there are some points that you should be aware of. If you have decided to acquire a property our lawyers in Croatia (a former judge) examines the land register and checks whether a mortgage has already been enshrined on the estate and we will have all the documents translated in the buyer’s native language. In addition, we will also have the reliability and the trustworthiness of the seller checked. If everything is all right then the purchase contract can be concluded. (Remember – you are free to choose your own lawyer if you wish). We will ensure that you are sent the purchase contracts before the appointment with the notary office so that you have plenty of time to read it over.

We will also check whether there is adequate access to the estate as you will not be able to take advantage of an estate without its own access no matter how wonderful it is. This means that you cannot rely on common law in the unlikely event where there is no access from public roads and you are forced to drive over someone else’s estate. If in any event where you have to cross another estate an entry of right of way needs to be registered. According to the current legislation you are not allowed to purchase property closer than 70 meters to the shores. Between 70 and 1000 meters the community will need to approve a qualified plan exactly outlining what can be built and on which plots of land. We strongly warn you against buying building sites in these areas unless you have a building plan in place. We must avoid purchasing a building site outside the building zone when the building plan is drawn up as this may result in building permission being refused on this plot of land which could prove very costly.

Please note: If you buy a beachside plot today the plots needs to be at least 85 meters away from the shore (70 meters plus the width of the house; 10 meters plus the distance to the neighbor’s house). Also you will need a width of 20 meters (depending on the width of the house) and you have to buy an area of at least 1500 to 1700sqm in order to get planning permission. (But do not forget: there must be planning permission in place first for this site.) At the moment there are a lot people trying to sell sites near the shores. So be very careful!! However, all sites in that area for which building permission was given should be checked as a precaution. Better to be absolutely sure.

We also check the building regulations that are in place when buying property so as to make sure that you will not acquire an illegal site or that some parts of the house does not have planning permission in place. Don’t do without the help of an attorney and don’t let allow yourself to be tempted by any illegal payments by the seller. Nevertheless how tempting the offer is and how nice the people may seem, without an attorney you can easily sustain a loss. Make sure you are fully aware of what you are buying before you buy.

It can take up to one year for the Foreign Office/Ministry of Justice to give his official blessings and as we are sure you do not want to wait this long for you property for this reason a priority notice of conveyance is submitted with the land registry which will take the property off of the market and the seller will be unable to continue selling the property. In addition, a mortgage of the amount of the purchase prices is secured. This way you can take advantage of your property right from day one and you can be certain that there are no legal risks. After the approval of the Ministry is in place (which is a mere formality in the purchase procedure), the buyer is entered in the land register and the priority notice of conveyance as well as the mortgage are removed. If you buy through a Croatian established Limited company you will not be required to have this approval in place.

New houses - renovation and extension

We are happy to continue our support in the realization and construction of your new build as well as any renovations or extensions you may wish to undertake. You can take advantage of considerable contacts our local colleagues have established which includes building contractors who bring with them thirty years of experience in construction. You have to reckon on the fact that the procedure of obtaining an approval can take up to six months. It is also important to know that in many towns it is forbidden to build during the peak season which means that there may be a break throughout the construction work.

Transfer of money

Many of our customers have asked how the transfer to Croatia is best settled. He safest way is: You first talk to your local bank and let them know that money is to be transferred to Croatia or will be collected by a Croatian bank in the next few days. When you are in Croatia you go to a bank, open an account and hand the account number over to your local bank or you may have the money collected by a Croatian bank. Surely you may also bring the money with you in cash, however it is not always recommended to carry huge amounts of cash with you.

Financing

For Croatian citizens we can secure finance up to 25 years on property, new builds, renovations, modernizations and extensions. For foreigners we can only offer financing as a rule when unencumbered or little encumbered reasl estate exists in the home country. Occasional financing through your local bank with land charge encumbrances is very rare.