Moving to Hunedoara district, need help!

Hi Iris,

I'd be very careful if I were you. I certainly wouldn't move to the new place until you have all the deeds in your possession. Once you've moved everything there, before signing the final contract, he'll be in a very strong position to increase the price (as you'll have already got on site).

You can apply for the cadastru number from the OCPI in Deva, and then using the cadastru number get hold of the 'extras de carta funciara' from the same place, which will give you a lot more info, like who owns the land, the official surface areas, details of any buildings on the land (just cos you can see them, doesn't mean they officially exist!) and if there are any debts or disputes. I honestly wouldn't go near a pre-contract until you've seen the extras de CF. It doesn't cost a lot to do (around 30-40 Euro in total I think).

I know of lots of cases of people handing over money, deposits,or  whatever to owners who promise that once they have this money, they'll use it to sort out all the paperwork. I don't know of any cases where this has ultimately happened!

Don't pay a penny till you a) know what you're buying and b) know the guy you're buying it from has the right to sell it!

If you are determined to sign a pre-contract, you should give the seller a set period of time to resolve all the issues related to the land, such as producing ownership documents, having a topologist draw up accurate plans and combine any newer plots to the original plot to make one accurately measure plot, and to submit all this to the cadastru so you can receive an updated extras de CF. If the seller fails to do this, then don't sign anything. If he genuinely wants to sell, and really does own the land, he'll get all this done. If not, then you've escape from a potentially unpleasant legal situation - and you can look for something better.

Good luck

Maykal, excellent advice! 

When it comes to property transactions in Romania, one must REALLY do all due diligence before letting money exchange hands.

Romaniac