What Documents Should You Ask for Before Paying a Property Deposit in Greece?

Which documents matter before a deposit—and which can come later?

The useful distinction is evidence to investigate the property, professional checks needed before an inadequately protected commitment, and certificates assembled for the final notarial transfer. Asking the seller for every final-stage certificate on day one can be unrealistic; paying without seeing the basic ownership and technical records can be dangerous.

This is a buyer's document-request framework, not a universal statutory checklist. The notary determines formal transfer requirements, the lawyer investigates legal rights, and an engineer assesses building documentation.

Why is the seller's title deed only a starting point?

A seller's acquisition deed may show a purchase, inheritance, gift or other route by which rights were acquired. It does not alone establish the current owner, every registered burden, or whether all parties can sign.

Ask your lawyer to inspect the relevant ownership chain, present registration, legal shares and authority of any representative. If the seller inherited property, the lawyer may need succession and registration documents. If two people own the apartment, one person's signature may not transfer the other's share.

Do not confuse an apparently complete title file with a title opinion. The European e-Justice Portal explains the registration of rights and acts under the Greek system.

Buyer action: Ask the lawyer what has been checked, what remains unsearched and what evidence supports the conclusion.

What cadastral information should you obtain?

KAEK — Κωδικός Αριθμός Εθνικού Κτηματολογίου — helps identify a registered property. A plot-level map reference does not necessarily identify the separately owned apartment or the legal right to an advertised parking space.

The Hellenic Cadastre lists distinct services for a copy of the cadastral sheet, a cadastral diagram extract, and copies of registered acts. They do not answer identical questions. A lawyer should choose the relevant records and determine whether older mortgage-registry information also needs examination.

A map screenshot proves neither clear title nor construction compliance. See our KAEK and Hellenic Cadastre guide.

Why should you ask for permits and approved floor plans?

The engineer needs both the documents and access to the actual property. A permit number alone cannot tell you whether a balcony was enclosed later, a basement was converted, or a wall was removed.

Ask for the building permit — οικοδομική άδεια — approved floor plans and amendments. The Greek Ministry of Environment describes the e-Άδειες system for building-permit administration; older properties may require archive searches.

Example: A listing advertises 95 m² but approved drawings show 80 m² of main residential space plus an enclosed 15 m² semi-open area. This does not establish illegality or a 15 m² loss of value. The engineer must identify area definitions, authorised works and any regularisation evidence.

Learn more in what a civil engineer checks.

What is different for apartments with parking, storage or terraces?

Request the deed establishing horizontal property — σύσταση οριζοντίου ιδιοκτησίας — and relevant amendments or building regulations.

A storage room might be a separate unit, an ancillary right or a common area used informally. An open pilotis parking space can involve particular legal rules. Exclusive use of a rooftop is not automatically separate ownership or permission to build on it.

The lawyer checks the rights; the engineer checks the spaces and plans. Our horizontal-property guide explains the distinction.

Must the seller already have the Electronic Building Identity certificate?

Not necessarily when the property is first marketed. The Electronic Building Identity (HTK) is part of the statutory building-documentation framework, but a certificate may be produced as the sale is prepared.

Gov.gr states that the Certificate of Completeness is issued by an authorised engineer after finalisation of registration, an on-site inspection and payment of the applicable fee.

Ask whether the file exists, which documents were reviewed, what is outstanding, and why any certificate is still pending. A pending certificate can mean paperwork remains; it might also point to an unresolved technical problem. The two should not be conflated.

The PEA energy certificate serves a different purpose. It does not certify ownership, structural soundness or full building compliance. The Ministry of Environment's KENAK guidance explains the energy-performance framework.

Are E9, ENFIA and clearance certificates title documents?

No. E9 is a property-tax declaration; ENFIA is the recurring Greek property tax. Certificates and fiscal clearances may matter for transfer formalities, but tax records are not substitutes for title searches.

AADE's E9/ENFIA guidance explains the tax framework. The notary and lawyer should confirm the documents required for the individual transfer.

Do not ask the seller for unrestricted personal tax files when a relevant certificate or appropriately redacted extract answers the transaction question.

What should a deposit or reservation agreement cover?

The most consequential document before a deposit may be the agreement controlling that payment. The legal effect of a reservation fee, advance, earnest money or preliminary agreement depends on its proper legal form and terms. Do not assume all documents using the English word “deposit” have the same consequences.

Have an independent Greek lawyer examine:

1. The parties and signing authority.
2. Exact asset, KAEK and included rights.
3. Price and any separate amounts.
4. Who receives or holds the money.
5. Which lawyer and engineer checks are outstanding.
6. Conditions and deadlines for providing evidence.
7. Remedies or withdrawal rights if a material problem emerges.
8. The treatment of money if either party does not proceed.
9. Any completion deadline and extension mechanism.

Calling a fee “refundable” is not sufficient unless its legally effective treatment is understood. Equally, it is incorrect to assume every deposit is necessarily forfeited.

What if important documents are missing?

A missing document is an unresolved question, not automatically proof of misconduct. Establish which of these situations applies:

Greece's Digital Property Transfer File can streamline eligible notarial transactions, but it does not replace the buyer's lawyer and engineer.

Worked example: an Athens apartment with a pending HTK

A fictional buyer agrees an asking price of €310,000 and is asked for a reservation payment. The seller provides a title deed and KAEK, but not the approved plans. A balcony is enclosed; the HTK certificate is pending; the draft agreement has unclear exit terms.

The evidence supports three separate follow-ups: the lawyer investigates rights and registers, the engineer assesses the enclosure and plans, and the lawyer explains whether the financial agreement adequately addresses unfinished checks.

A useful update is: “Title investigation underway; enclosure documentation pending; reservation terms not yet reviewed.” It is not “The property is safe” or “The property is illegal.”

Illustrative scenario; not a real transaction.

The document-readiness worksheet

Received is not reviewed. Reviewed is not necessarily resolved. The worksheet is a communication aid, not an official legal certificate.

Frequently asked questions

What this checklist cannot establish

No document list proves the absence of every risk. A title search does not test electrical wiring; a building certificate does not determine today's market value; and public transaction-price evidence does not clear mortgages.

The Greek Property Report is independent, buyer-funded research, without a brokerage commission or fee contingent on closing. It is not a substitute for property-specific Greek legal, engineering or notarial advice.

Related guides and research

• What does a Greek property lawyer check? →
• What does a civil engineer check? →
• Property due diligence in Greece →
• Buying property in Greece: the process →
• Our research methodology →