Showaddywaddy
5/22/2016 01:40 EST
Suppose that I do a couple of house-hunting trips to Hungary and find a house to buy to live in permanently.
Presumably I need to set up a bank account? What document does the bank need, just proof of owning the house and maybe passport? How about getting the gas / electricity / water billing changed? Do I need to show proof of owning the house plus passport? What is the correct sequence in which to organise these basics?
Presumably in the first few months there will be numerous situations in which documentary proof of identity / address are needed?
But some of this is chicken / egg. Presumably it will take a few weeks in order to receive a utility bill, which can be used as partial proof of identity?
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borschelrh
5/22/2016 04:52 EST
A couple of things have to happen initially. If, like us, you are coming from the US then you can purchase the house with an initial deposit then apply for permission from the government to purchase a house as a foreigner. This tookmus 6 months. We simultaneously applied for a visa while living in the US at the Hungarian embassy but for us that was relatively easy as we lived near Washington and I worked 2 miles from the embassy. We took a year before we arrived but we finalized the purchase and did a wire transfer to our bank in Hungary which we opened when we were there. If you use a foreign bank such as K&H it is not necessary to be a legal resident. During the purchase process it is important to have a good attorney and a good real estate agent who will look out for your interests. We rented the house to the previous owners for 1 year so it all timed out more or less correctly. Here there are no house inspections or warranties and you really must be careful to list everything you expect to convey with the house as it will be taken otherwise. Hungarians are not averse to ripping off foreigners so you really need some local protection (lawyer and agent) to guard against that. You also need to be cogent on existing problems such as meter by-passing etc. as you will become responsible The previous owners were bypassing the water and gas meters and running the electric meters backwards. We ended up negotiating a settlement to the utility companies for the previous owner's cheating. Still, it was several thousand dollars. It may not be a problem for you but we ran into every possible problem you can imagine. Still, we are happy with our purchase and have been here 7 years now.
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peddington
5/22/2016 10:32 EST
I'm going to assume that you are NOT a Hungarian citizen. In this case it is not as simple as buying a house like you would do at home. You have to ask "permission" to purchase. A letter is signed by the Mayor of the area you want to buy. However it has to be "specific" in other words you have to tell them "which house". So for this you need a "pre-contract" to show intent of buying. You need this contract (preferably done by a lawyer) a letter (which can be hand written although better if a lawyer does one for you then you sign it) 50,000 forint fee (stamps) and identity document like your passport. You would think that you have to submit it to the Mayor's office but NO. You have to submit it to the County office that handles it then they send it to the appropriate major. You will need an address where they can send the letter but of course you will not have an "address card" so you will have to convince them to send it to your relative, hotel etc., address. 2 to 5 weeks later you will have your permission and then and only then you will be able to do the actual contract to buy! Utility bills have to be paid up to the time of sale by the former owner. This gets complicated but there are forms you both can sign with the meter readings and forward it to the utility companies which then will bill both of you. In Hungary the utility companies don't like to let someone out of a contract until they get the next owner to sign on. It is a weird "continuity: that they like to stick to. Now I speak the language but still used a real estate agent and a lawyer. Hungarian laws and practice get complicated and you better have someone that can navigate through them or you will have problems! Good luck!
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Showaddywaddy
5/23/2016 03:24 EST
I am from the UK. Is it any easier to buy a house in Hungary if you are a citizen of a European Union country, rather than a 'total foreigner' from outside the European Union?
I thought that the 'one Europe' ethos was supposed to make us all have equal rights everywhere in the EU, so presumably there should be little difference between a Hungarian buying a house and any other EU citizen buying a house.
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Showaddywaddy
5/23/2016 03:32 EST
Although it takes quite a while to totally complete the buying process I should like to know at what point the purchaser is allowed to physically move into the house. At what stage of the process can this occur and how much time usaully elapses between the starting point and this stage?
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peddington
5/23/2016 08:35 EST
Well you got me! I what you call a "third country" citizen (US) so what I recounted is what I had to do. Not sure about the EU but I do know that Hungary is sensitive with land purchase for example. No foreigner may purchase unimproved land although I'm sure there may be some exceptions. In any case I would consult an attorney/lawyer or as you folks call them I think "solicitor" LOL! Sorry couldn't be more help!
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Grazka
5/23/2016 10:43 EST
Of you are EU passport holder you can buy a house or apartment the same way as Hungarians do. No permission is necessary . The contract can be in English. Only what you need is passport ,your mothers name and address where you live now. You can own property even in one month .
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Grazka
5/23/2016 10:43 EST
Of you are EU passport holder you can buy a house or apartment the same way as Hungarians do. No permission is necessary . The contract can be in English. Only what you need is passport ,your mothers name and address where you live now. You can own property even in one month .
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Showaddywaddy
5/23/2016 11:16 EST
Grazka,
Thanks very much for that.
I have a United Kingdom passport, which I believe is to the European standard.
My parents are both deceased, so would my mother's name and the final address where she lived in England be valid to use?
For my address, at the moment I live in a rented flat in Spain, so would I need to just supply this address or would there be a need to supply proof in the form of a recent utility bill?
If possible I would like this sequence of events to occur :-
1)Make 2 or 3 visits to Hungary for a week or 10 days each.
2)Choose a house and begin the buying process.
3)Remain based in Spain until I could move into the house but come to Hungary as needed to sign documents and talk to a lawyer.
Living at rented accommodation in Hungary during the process could be too complicated because I would in a sense have 3 addresses, which might result in me missing some important mail.
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Grazka
5/23/2016 11:35 EST
All can be done even more easy. The most important is your EU passport. You can live where you want.. Find some doc which has your name and address on it. This will be your address for paper work .as for your mums name it's not a problem ...if you have some doc like her birth certificate ...good...if not you just tell it to person who will write contract. That's enough.
Look for the property on internet...Find what u like and contact the real estate agent to arrange app to see it. Try to make few app say in one week so u don't need to fly from Spain so many times. Do you know where you like to live? Which city?
Maybe contact me by private message so I can answer more your questions by Skype or other way .
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Grazka
6/7/2016 06:53 EST
Hi Showaddywaddy,
my private message to you looks like not going anywhere so please write to me on grazkav@gmail.com if you have a questions.
G.
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