Viewing and due diligence checklist for a Budapest apartment

The building

In a condominium, the state of the building determines future charges and any special levies. A flat in good condition can still bring large costs if the building needs work.

• Facade: cracks, loose render or ornaments, protective netting or scaffolding over the pavement, which often signal works to come.
• Roof and top floor: ask when the roof was last repaired; look for water stains in the top-floor stairwell.
• Stairwell and common areas: steps, railings of the gang (open access balcony around the courtyard), courtyard, damp in the cellar.
• Lift: is there one, does it work, when was it last modernised, and how are its costs shared.
• Building wiring: ask whether the main supply and the common electrical risers have been renewed.
• Water, sewer and gas risers (strang): these are common property; ask when they were replaced.
• Planned works: ask the közös képviselő (common representative) what works are planned, how they will be financed and whether a special contribution per owner is expected ^[7].
• Reserve fund: ask for the balance of the felújítási alap (renovation fund) and the monthly contribution paid into it.

The apartment

Visit at least twice, once in the evening, and photograph every room.

• Damp: musty smell, stains, flaking paint at the base of walls, behind furniture and in the corners of outside walls; ground-floor and top-floor flats are most exposed.
• Windows: material, condition and draughts; in a protected building, replacing them may need a permit.
• Heating: identify the type – gázkonvektor (gas wall heaters in each room), cirkó (wall-mounted gas boiler with radiators) or távfűtés (district heating). Ask the age of the appliance, the date of the last flue inspection and recent bills.
• Hot water: gas boiler, electric water heater or district supply.
• Electricity: capacity of the connection and condition of the wiring; an old installation may not carry an induction hob, an electric water heater and air conditioning at the same time.
• Belmagasság (ceiling height): a high ceiling allows a galéria (mezzanine) but raises heating costs; check that any existing mezzanine is lawful.
• Orientation and light: street or courtyard side (utcai/udvari), floor level, sunlight at different times of day.
• Noise: trams, nightlife streets, courtyard echo, neighbours.
• Layout: compare the actual layout with the plan in the alapító okirat (founding deed of the condominium); removed walls or a relocated bathroom may need consents.
• Meters: separate water, gas and electricity meters, readable and accessible.

Documents to request

• A recent tulajdoni lap (see the next section) ^[1][2].
• Energetikai tanúsítvány: it can be checked free of charge, without login, in the public E-tanúsítás database by address or helyrajzi szám (lot number). Since 1 November 2023 its number no longer has to appear in the contract, but a certificate is still mandatory for selling or renting ^[4].
• Alapító okirat and SZMSZ (organisational and operating rules): common parts, the flat's share (tulajdoni hányad), restrictions on use (short-term letting, business use), rules on works.
• Közös költség (common charge) statements: monthly amount, how costs are split, and a written statement from the közös képviselő that the seller has no arrears ^[7].
• Minutes of the last general meetings (közgyűlés): decisions on works, levies, loans taken by the community, disputes, rule changes.
• Utility bills for the last 12 months (electricity, gas, water, district heating): unpaid bills can stop the meters being transferred to the buyer ^[7].
• Registration of the representative: check that the condominium's törzslap (main sheet) in the land register names the közös képviselő. An unregistered representative cannot act validly for the building in official matters ^[5][6].

How to read the tulajdoni lap

The tulajdoni lap is the extract of the property register kept by the földhivatal (land registry office). A szemle shows current entries only; a teljes másolat also shows deleted entries ^[1]. An e-certified copy is requested on Földhivatal Online with Ügyfélkapu or KAÜ login; a certified paper copy is available at any land registry office ^[2]. For a condominium, the register has a main sheet (törzslap) for the building and a separate sheet (különlap) for each flat ^[13].

1. Header – széljegy: an application filed but not yet registered (a sale or mortgage being processed). It is not yet an entry, but it fixes the order of ranking ^[3].
2. Part I – the property: address, helyrajzi szám, area, type (for example lakás, dwelling) ^[1]. If the property is not registered as a dwelling, banks may lend less or on stricter terms ^[7].
3. Part II – the owners: names, shares and legal basis of acquisition (sale, inheritance, gift); notes such as minority or guardianship ^[1][3]. All owners must sign or be represented.
4. Part III – encumbrances and rights: mortgage (jelzálog), enforcement right, haszonélvezet (usufruct), ban on sale and encumbrance, pending lawsuits, pre-emption rights, utility line rights ^[1][3]. If the part is empty, the text says so explicitly. A mortgage shows its original amount, not the current debt: ask the seller's bank for a statement ^[3].

Legal checks

• Debts: mortgages, enforcement rights and lawsuits in Part III; arrears of common charges. The condominium can have a mortgage registered on the flat to secure unpaid charges ^[12]. The contract should state how such debts are cleared, usually from the price, paid to the creditor through the lawyer.
• Haszonélvezet (usufruct): it survives a sale. Deleting it requires the usufructuary's consent, and the usufructuary usually signs the contract. An old entry does not disappear by itself, even if the holder has died: require its deletion before signing ^[3][11].
• Pre-emption rights: co-owners in undivided ownership (by law); the state for dwellings over 200 m² in World Heritage areas (Danube banks, Castle District, Andrássy út) ^[9]. An amendment to the Fundamental Law in force since 15 April 2025 opened the way to municipal pre-emption rights; as of March 2026 no general law on this was confirmed. Check with a lawyer ^[10].
• Illegal alterations: merged flats, mezzanine, enclosed balcony, relocated bathroom, removed walls. Since the 2021 amendment of the Condominium Act, works affecting common parts (load-bearing walls, floor slabs, light wells) require the general meeting's consent, based on plans and a structural engineer's opinion (statikai szakvélemény) ^[8]. Ask for these consents and, where needed, the permits. A mismatch with the alapító okirat or the register can block a mortgage.
• Seller's capacity: minors or persons under guardianship (noted in Part II) ^[3].

The lawyer who drafts and countersigns the contract checks the register; this list helps you prepare your questions.

Frequently asked questions