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Real estate and leases
Buying, selling or letting property is often the largest transaction a person or small business makes. I take care of the contract, the money and the land-registry entry – whether you are a buyer, seller, landlord or tenant.
How I can help
Buying and selling
- Tailor-made purchase agreements
- Review of reservation and purchase agreements from estate agents or developers
- Pre-purchase agreements for new builds
- Legal due diligence – title, mortgages, easements, enforcement
- Declaration of ownership – dividing a building into units
- Attorney escrow of the purchase price
- Signature certification by an attorney
- Land-registry filing and monitoring of the proceedings
- Coordination with the bank on mortgage financing
Leases
- Leases for flats and commercial premises
- Lease assignments, subletting, amendments
- Service-charge settlements, arrears, return of deposits
- Lease termination and defending against it
- Eviction and damages after the lease ends
Typical situations
The estate agent sent you a reservation agreement and wants a deposit by Friday.
I review the agreement before you sign and tell you what is missing – typically when and under what conditions you get the reservation fee back.
You are buying a flat from a developer and construction is not finished.
The pre-purchase agreement must cover completion dates, security for your payments and what happens if the developer misses the deadline.
You are selling a house and the buyer is paying with a mortgage.
I set up the escrow and payout conditions so that you know the money is there and the buyer knows they will get what they pay for.
The tenant left, owes money and won’t return the keys.
I settle the deposit, recover the remaining debt and arrange eviction if needed.
How I handle a purchase
From due diligence to handing over the keys- 1 Due diligence Title, mortgages, easements, enforcement, the seller’s authority.
- 2 Contract I draft the contract or comment on the other side’s draft and negotiate changes.
- 3 Signing and escrow Certified signatures, purchase price paid into escrow.
- 4 Land registry I file the registration. The office may approve it no earlier than 20 days after notifying the owner.
- 5 Handover Handover protocol, utility transfers and release of the purchase price from escrow.
Fees
Indicative fees for the most common services.
Fees apply to standard cases. I confirm the exact amount once we have reviewed the matter. They do not include the land-registry filing fee or fees for signature certification by a notary or at Czech POINT.
FAQ
The estate agent prepared the contract. Do I still need a lawyer?
An estate agent acts under a contract with their client – usually the seller. An independent review protects your interests and costs a fraction of the property price.
What is attorney escrow?
The purchase price is paid into a special attorney account and released to the seller only once the agreed conditions are met – typically after the buyer is entered in the land registry. The buyer does not pay blindly and the seller knows the money is there.
How long does land-registry registration take?
Under Section 18 of the Czech Cadastral Act, the land registry may approve registration no earlier than 20 days after it notifies the owner of the proceedings. In practice the whole process usually takes several weeks.
Do I have to be present at the signing?
Not always. Signatures on contracts for the land registry are usually certified – an attorney can do this too. Remotely, you can sign with certification by a notary or at a Czech POINT office.
My landlord won’t return the deposit. What can I do?
When the lease ends, the landlord must return the deposit and may only set off what you owe under the lease. The tenant is also entitled to interest on the deposit at least at the statutory rate (Section 2254 of the Czech Civil Code).
Buying, selling or letting?
Send me the contract or a description of the situation. The first 15 minutes of a consultation are free; I usually reply to e-mails within 48 hours on working days.