The Guide to Buying Property in Slovakia.

If you’re thinking about purchasing a property in Slovakia there are a number of steps you should take to ensure you’re making a sound investment and that you will not encounter any problems along the way.

1. The first thing you should do is a full and thorough search of the property market in Slovakia. You need to establish what properties are available, which areas they’re placed in and how much they cost. Comparing similar properties in similar locations will give you a good guide to the value of a property in that area, making sure you pay the right price for your property. The easiest way to do this is to carry out an online search. We have a link on our website that will enable you to search virtually all the properties currently for sale in Slovakia on Slovakia’s largest property search portal, Reality.sk. Here you can find all types of properties, being advertised by all the reality estate agents across the whole country. You’ll be able to search anything from flats, houses, off-plan projects or commercial properties.

2. Once you find the right property, the next thing you should do is to check out the actual real estate agency advertising the property you’re intending to purchase. All good and reputable real estate agencies in Slovakia are NARKS registered. This organisation checks out all their members, making sure they comply with all the rules and regulations and their standards are up to their code of practice. You can find out more about NARKS here. However, there are a lot of agents in Slovakia, operating without being NARKS registered, this doesn’t necessarily mean they are bad or underhand. It is always a good idea to make sure the reality agency you’ll be using is a proper set up, does have adequate premises and a staff on hand to deal with your enquiries. We have a directory of English speaking agents in Slovakia that can help you purchase your property.

3. The next step should be to check the status and ownership details of the property you like. You can check all the important information regarding any property from its “list of ownership”. List of Ownership is a legal document stating the owner/owners of the property, their address and date of birth. It also states if the there are any debts, burdens or restrictions attached to the property, you can also see the plot no’s, the size of the land and also how long the current owner has owned the property. You can obtain list of ownership regarding any property in Slovakia by visiting the national land registry online portal, you can find details of the land registry here. Please make sure your real estate agent provides you with a copy of list of ownership for any property you’re interested in. You should also make sure the actual list of ownership showed to you is no more than 3 months old.

4. Viewing the property would be the next thing you would need to tackle. When buying a property in Slovakia it is rare to have a full survey done on the property before you purchase it. However, when you are purchasing an older property, we strongly advise you to at least have a structural engineer to visit the property and write a report of their findings. These sorts of reports should also include advise on how to correct any problems identified. These costs will not be covered in your reality agent’s fee so make sure you allocate some money from your budget towards this cost. Don’t feel pressurised by the agents to rush you around the property and make up your mind on the spot. Make sure you ask all the questions you’d normally want to know when purchasing a property at home. Be extra cautious when buying a business investment, maybe a pension or small hotel. Ensure all the financial details provided by the agents are supported by full sets of accounts.

5. Signing the contract will be one of the final steps you will take towards purchasing a property in Slovakia. If you’re using a reality agency, they will prepare the contract for you to sign. You should always insist on any documents you sign to be translated and/or a translated copy provided for you. We also advise you to have the contract checked by an independent solicitor or lawyer. You can find a list of English-speaking solicitors here. If you’re not using a reality agent and the sellers have offered to take care of the contract themselves. The solicitor will ensure all the details in the contract are correct and you’re not being sold something illegally or unfairly. Also remember the contract should be signed in front of a solicitor, who will verify all the signatures. Signed contracts should then be submitted to the land registry office, which after thorough checks issue a new list of ownership for the new owner of the property.


If you’re in a position where you need to obtain financial help to purchase a property in Slovakia, you can find a list of banks, mortgage brokers and building societies at here.
It is standard procedure with Slovak banks to have the property valued before deciding on the amount they’ll lend to their client. The valuation is usually done by the bank’s own valuers, however it is sometimes acceptable to have the valuation done by your own valuer. Based on the results of the valuation, banks can lend you around 70-80% of the value of the property.

By following this short guide to purchasing a property in Slovakia, you will be on your best way to finding a sound investment.