· 7 min read
Before you buy an apartment: 7 checks that protect the buyer
Tashkent’s housing market is growing fast — and so, unfortunately, is the number of disputes. A checklist every buyer should run before transferring money.
Buying a home is, for most people, the largest financial decision of their life. Yet in practice many buyers skim the documents or leave the checking to the estate agent. Below are the essential checks to run before any transaction.
The essential checks
- The title document: on what basis the seller owns the property (purchase, inheritance, gift)
- Whether the cadastre data matches the actual state (any unauthorised alterations)
- Encumbrances, attachments or a mortgage
- Persons registered at the address, especially minors
- The seller’s marital status — is a notarised spousal consent required
- Outstanding utility debts
- For new builds: the developer’s permits and land documents
Inherited apartments deserve special attention. If the inheritance was formalised recently, there is a risk of claims from other heirs. In such cases the probate file should be examined and the position of all heirs clarified.
One more rule: hand over money only after the contract has been notarised, and only in the agreed manner. Paying a large "reservation" amount against a simple receipt is the most common — and the most expensive — mistake.
Kabir Law performs full legal due diligence for buyers and accompanies the transaction through to notarisation. A review usually takes 2–3 business days.