Lawyer practicing real estate, construction and land law.
Case: We conducted a comprehensive legal check of the apartment before purchasing and minimized the risks for the buyer
Service: Real Estate Due Diligence Before Purchase and Sale
Client: individual (apartment buyer)
Case essence: legal due diligence of an apartment before signing a purchase and sale agreement in order to minimize risks
Responsible lawyer: real estate practice lawyer, Law Firm “Prikhodko & Partners”
Client’s situation
A client contacted the law firm “Prikhodko & Partners” with the intention of purchasing an apartment on the secondary real estate market. Before signing the purchase and sale agreement, she decided to verify both the property and the seller to avoid potential legal risks that could arise after the transfer of ownership.
The client understood that even an apartment that appears “clean” at first glance may have hidden issues: court disputes, arrests, risks of transaction challenges, or the seller’s financial obligations that could later affect the new owner.
What was included in the legal support provided by “Prikhodko & Partners” when checking the apartment before purchase?
Stage One — Property Analysis
Our lawyers conducted a comprehensive legal due diligence of the apartment through all key state registers, including:
- verification of ownership rights to the apartment;
- analysis of the history of ownership transfers;
- identification of the presence or absence of encumbrances, arrests, mortgages, and alienation bans;
- review of information on court disputes related to the real estate property.
Stage Two — Seller Verification
Special attention was paid to verifying the seller’s identity, in particular:
- analysis of information in the Unified State Register of Court Decisions;
- verification of data on the judicial authority’s website;
- check in the Unified Register of Debtors;
- analysis of the existence of enforcement proceedings;
- verification in the register of corrupt officials and other open databases.
The purpose of this stage was to identify risks that could lead to the transaction being challenged or enforcement measures being imposed after the apartment purchase.
Result
Based on the results of the due diligence, we prepared a written legal opinion for the client, in which we:
- assessed all identified risks;
- provided detailed explanations of the legal consequences;
- developed recommendations for the safe conclusion of the purchase and sale agreement.
The client gained a full understanding of the actual legal status of the property and was able to make a well-informed decision regarding the apartment purchase.
Legal due diligence of an apartment before purchase is not a formality but a critically important stage in protecting the buyer’s interests. Practice shows that even one unchecked detail can result in significant financial losses or prolonged court disputes.
That is why consulting a specialized lawyer before signing the agreement allows risks to be minimized and ensures the safe acquisition of ownership rights.