Preview. We’re not taking orders yet.
Chisto
БГ Check a property
Property checks in Bulgaria · Starting with Sofia

Six official sources. One plain answer. Before you pay the deposit.

We check the registers, cadastre, permits and auctions for you, then tell you in normal words if it’s safe to pay. For less than half the price of a lawyer.

Check a property See what can go wrong
See what it last sold for No legal jargon From €29 No check, no charge
Full check 2-room flat · Lozenets, Sofia
Example
OK The seller is the only owner
Risk A bailiff registered a seizure in March 2026
OK Act 16 issued in 2019
Check Listing says 71 m², the cadastre says 64 m²
Good to know Last sold in 2021 for €118,000
Ask Ask the seller for the local tax certificate and paid utility bills
Bottom line: get the seizure lifted before you pay any deposit.
See the full example report
Checked against official public sources
Registry Agency · Property Register Cadastre Agency (AGKK) · Cadastral map Sofia Municipality · Building permits DNSK · Permits for use (Act 16) Chamber of Private Bailiffs · Public auctions Basin Directorates · Flood maps
Chisto is independent and isn’t affiliated with these institutions. We use their public registers.
€10–25k

is a typical deposit on a Sofia flat. Our Full check is €79.

9 things the listing won’t tell you

The ‘seller’ doesn’t own it

Scammers show flats they’re renting or found online, then disappear with your deposit. The register shows who really owns it.

Someone else co-owns it

An ex, a sibling, an heir, or a spouse who never signed. They can block the sale or come after you later.

There’s a mortgage or a seizure

Debt is tied to the flat, not the seller. A seizure (възбрана) can freeze the whole deal.

It’s caught up in a lawsuit

If someone has filed a claim over the flat, the ruling can bind the next owner too. That’d be you.

Someone else got there first

An earlier buyer can go to court to force the sale to them. It shows up in the register, if you know where to look.

The building isn’t legally finished

No Act 16 means it isn’t approved for living. Your bank may refuse the mortgage.

It’s legally not a home

Some new builds sell ‘ateliers’ that are officially non-residential. That can change your mortgage and resale options.

The paper flat isn’t the real flat

The square metres don’t match, the ‘extra room’ was never approved, or the parking spot isn’t in the deed.

It’s already up for auction

Bailiffs sometimes list a flat for public sale while someone is still ‘selling’ it to you.

“Can’t I just check it myself?”

Technically, yes. Here’s what that actually looks like.

Doing it yourself A few hours, if you know exactly what to do
  1. 1Get a Bulgarian e-signature or a NAP access code
  2. 2Register on the Registry Agency portal and top up a prepaid balance
  3. 3Find the property’s cadastral number
  4. 4Run property, document and person searches, paid one by one
  5. 5Read every deed, in legal Bulgarian
  6. 6Cross-check 5 more sites: cadastre, building permits, Act 16, bailiff auctions, flood maps
Buying from abroad? You’ll usually need a Bulgarian ID number or a Bulgarian e-signature before you can even log in. That alone can take weeks.
With Chisto About 30 seconds of your time
  • Send the cadastral ID and the listing link
  • Get a red / amber / green report by the next working day
  • Walk into the deal knowing what to ask
From €29 Check a property

Three steps. Zero paperwork for you.

01

Send the cadastral ID

The property’s cadastral ID, plus the listing link. We check it’s on the map and in the register before you pay.

02

We run the checks

Property register, cadastre, building permits, bailiff auctions and more.

03

Get a clear answer

Green is fine. Amber means ask questions. Red means walk away, or negotiate hard.

Pick your check

Express Before you book a viewing
€29
Who owns it right now Mortgages, seizures, lawsuits Bailiff auctions Act 16 status
Ready the next working day Choose Express
Full Before you pay the deposit
Recommended
€79
Everything in Express, plus: 10 years of ownership history Past prices, and price per m² vs. nearby Cadastre vs. the listing Building permits, and what’s being built next door Flood-risk check What to put in your contract and ask the seller
Ready the next working day Choose Full
In your language For foreign buyers
€149
The Full check, in your language: Key documents explained in your language Glossary of Bulgarian terms Lawyer referral if you need one
Ready in 3 working days Choose this check

No payment now. We confirm we can check the property, then send you a payment link. Can’t check it? You don’t pay.

Not a Bulgarian speaker? Get your report in English, German or Russian. Other languages on request. No Bulgarian ID, no e-signature, not a word of Bulgarian needed.
English Deutsch Русский

Built by someone who tried it the hard way

“I tested this on a real flat in Sofia. Everything was public, but getting it out meant fighting a government login, topping up a prepaid account and decoding deeds in legal Bulgarian. Nobody should have to do that the week before paying a deposit.”
Founder, Chisto

Check a property

Three short steps. We reply within 1 working day.

Have these ready The cadastral ID, from the seller’s deed or the agent The listing link The area and asking price from the listing

We start with Sofia. Other cities follow; if your property is elsewhere, send it anyway and we’ll tell you if we can check it.

  1. 1 · Type
  2. 2 · Property
  3. 3 · Your check

What are you buying?

Buying a plot, garage or office? Pick the closest option and tell us in the notes on the last step.

Which apartment?

We can’t check a flat without its cadastral ID, and nothing is charged until we have it. Forward this to the agent or the seller:

Здравейте! Ще може ли да ми изпратите кадастралния идентификатор на апартамента (от нотариалния акт или скицата)? Искам да направя проверка преди капарото. Благодаря!

In Bulgarian, for the agent.

If they won’t send it, treat that as a red flag: an honest seller has nothing to hide. Once you have the ID, untick the box and carry on.

Does anything come with it?

These are often separate properties with their own records, so we check each one.

Which house?

This village has no cadastral map yet, so it can’t be checked online. You won’t be charged for anything.

When was the house built?

This only changes which legality papers we look for, not whether we can check it.

What’s on the plot?

Garages, guest houses and sheds can have their own records too.

Your check

Which check?

No payment now. We confirm we can check the property, then send you the payment details. Can’t check it? You don’t pay.

Got it.

We’ll look the ID up on the cadastre map and search the property register for its file, free of charge. Within 1 working day you’ll get an email: either the payment details, or a note that we can’t check it and you owe nothing.

Not open yet.

We’re not taking requests online yet. This page is a preview, and nothing you typed was sent or saved.

We’ll open requests once the company is set up. Thanks for looking.

Questions people ask

Doesn’t the notary check all this?

Only on deal day, after your deposit is already paid. If something’s wrong by then, getting your deposit back can turn into a fight.

Can’t I check it myself?

You can, if you have a Bulgarian e-signature or NAP access code, a free evening and patience for legal Bulgarian. We do all of it and give you the answer in normal words.

I’m buying from abroad. Can you still help?

Yes. The ‘In your language’ check comes in English, German, Russian and 7 more languages. You don’t need a Bulgarian ID number, an e-signature or a word of Bulgarian. Send the link and we handle the rest.

My broker handles all of this. Why do I need you?

Keep them. But your broker gets paid when the deal closes, usually by both sides, and in Bulgaria brokers don’t need a licence. We earn the same whether you buy or walk away, and we pull straight from the official registers. An independent second check costs €79, less than 1% of your deposit.

Is this legal advice?

No. We report facts from official registers. If something looks serious, we tell you, and you can take it to a lawyer.

What do I need to send you?

The property’s cadastral ID, plus the listing link. The ID is on the seller’s deed, and the agent almost always has it. Don’t have it yet? The form gives you a ready message to forward. An agent who won’t share it is a red flag in itself. Nothing is checked or charged until we have it.

Is there anything you can’t check?

Some things only the owner can get, like local tax and utility debts, so we give you a list of exactly what to ask for. Very old records may exist only on paper. If that applies, we flag it.