Fees Costs Bulgarian Property

When you calculate the amount that you will need for buying a property in Bulgaria, you should bear in mind the the following costs.

Legal and other costs

The lawyer's fee depends on whether you are buying an apartment or a property with land (such as a house, a hotel or a building plot). For properties without land the lawyer's fee is €450. For property with land the fee to set up and register a company, act as your legal representative and handle the purchase of the Bulgarian property is €950. The lawyer will normally expect to receive 50% of the fee before she starts work and the rest when the purchase is completed.
When the ownership is being transferred, you must pay a once-only Property Transfer Tax (the equivalent of Stamp Duty) to the government. This is 2% of the purchase price.
When the ownership is being transferred, you must also pay the once-only Notary Fee and Notary Tax. The total amount depends on the property and the location, but is usually about 3% to 4% of the price.

Our commission

All estate agencies need to obtain commission for their sales (although some agents do not make you aware of this). In Bulgaria, it is customary for the commission - or "agency fee" - to be divided between the seller and the buyer. However, almost all of our newly-built and off-plan properties are sold "commission free". This means that we will not charge you an agency fee if you buy one of these properties. For other properties we will charge you an agency fee equal to 4% of the purchase price, or €1,000, whichever is the greater. This fee must be paid on or before the date when you complete the purchase.

Annual Property Tax

Annual Property Tax (or "Council Tax") in Bulgaria is very low. Most owners will pay less than 50 Euro per year. More information on everyday costs are given on our Cost of Living page.