Documents You Need to Sell an Apartment

Gather the full package of documents before you go to market, not after a buyer shows up. The reason is simple: a buyer with money in hand will not wait two weeks while you order certificates, they will simply move on to the next seller.

The basic package

A document confirming ownership: a purchase and sale agreement, a certificate of inheritance, a deed of gift, or a court decision. The technical passport for the apartment. An extract from the State Register of Property Rights. A certificate listing the people registered at the address. Certificates confirming there are no outstanding utility debts from every provider.

A separate property valuation report is prepared on its own. The notary needs it to calculate taxes, and it has a limited validity period, so order it closer to the closing.

Documents you do not always need

Notarized spousal consent is required if the apartment was acquired during the marriage. If the marriage has been dissolved, you will need documents on the division of property or a statement confirming that the apartment is not jointly owned.

Permission from the guardianship authority is required if any of the owners or registered residents is a minor. This is the document that takes the longest to obtain, and it is usually what determines the closing date.

If the owner is acting through a representative, a notarized power of attorney is required, clearly stating the authority to sell.

Redevelopment

If the actual layout of the apartment does not match the technical passport, this needs to be resolved before the sale. There are two options: legalize the changes or restore the original layout.

Selling the apartment as is is theoretically possible, but a buyer using a mortgage will not take such a property, and a buyer paying with their own money will ask for a discount, usually larger than the cost of legalizing the changes.

How long the package takes to prepare

The register extract and certificates take anywhere from one day to a week. The technical passport, if you do not have one or it is outdated, takes from one to three weeks. Permission from the guardianship authority takes two to four weeks. Legalizing a redevelopment takes a month or more.

So a realistic plan looks like this: start gathering documents a month before you go to market, not on the day a buyer appears.

What you need at the closing itself

Passports and tax identification numbers for all parties, the originals of the title documents, the technical passport, the register extract, the certificates, the valuation report, and any consents and permissions if they are required.

The notary will make copies, but you must come with the originals.