Tiempo estimado de lectura (en minutos)
Precautions to take when buying an apartment Buying an apartment should not be taken lightly. Before you begin, there are a few important things to know. What precautions should be taken?
The property environment
In addition to the traditional checks on the environment (public transport, shops, school, etc.), it is recommended to find out about major work projects in the area. This information can be obtained from the town hall, by going directly to the site or by consulting its website.
This makes it possible to have visibility over the next two years, and to check whether projects, which may prove harmful, are planned: underground parking, demolition of a building nearby, construction of buildings in front of the property, etc. .
Seller
It is also advisable to find out about the seller. To do this, you must ask the realtor. If you don’t have a real estate agent, contact the seller directly. First of all, it is necessary to check whether the seller is the sole owner of the property. Indeed, he can be in joint possession, and he will need the agreement of all the co-owners to sell the property.
If he is in a relationship, he must be asked if he has the authorization of his spouse, in the event that the latter is also co-owner of the property. Similarly, divorce proceedings can be a major obstacle to the sale, as delays may be longer.
Visit of the apartment
It is recommended to check the condition of the equipment in the apartment (electricity, plumbing). Also check that the cellar and/or the car park sold are indeed those occupied by the seller. If the owner puts forward the renovation of the apartment, it is good to ask which company carried out this work, if it is insured, and if it still exists. Finally, it is also necessary to find out about the characteristics of the accommodation by obtaining all the technical diagnoses which are obligatorily established for the sale. In the context of an apartment building, the indication of the Carrez law zone is mandatory. On the other hand, it is not for a detached house.
The condominium regulations
It is important to obtain the co-ownership regulations in their entirety, which will allow certain essential checks to be carried out. This regulation allows to know the history and the future of the building.
It can be verified that no restaurant-type business is authorized to set up on the ground floor, and that the proposed property is only intended for residential or office use.
You can also make sure that the property offered corresponds to the number of lots appearing on the description of the division. Finally, the co-ownership regulations mention the distribution key between the charges that will be your responsibility as common charges, and those that will remain private charges.
Condominium fees
The issue of condominium fees is one of the main concerns when acquiring a property. Indeed, these expenses represent a position as important as that of the financing of the property. They must therefore be taken into account because they risk considerably unbalancing the planned budget.
It is necessary to obtain at least the last three minutes of the general meeting of the syndicate of co-owners of the building, as well as various documents of the provisional budget type. This makes it possible to check the operating budget of the building and to examine the accounts. In particular, we can see if significant expenditure is planned: renovation of the building, work to bring the elevator up to standard, repair of the stairwell, etc. Reading the general meetings and the provisional budget also provides information on how the building is managed: number of maintenance contracts, unnecessary expenses that could be reduced… All these elements are essential to ensure the feasibility of the acquisition of the property. .
