Services · V.
Real estate
zák. č. 256/2013 Sb.
End-to-end legal service for Czech real estate: contracts, attorney escrow of the purchase price, the Land Registry. Buying a flat is a legal process where every formality has a price.
Property transactions handled end to end
In the Czech Republic, ownership of real estate passes not with the signature but with registration in the Land Registry. Roughly a month passes between signing and registration — and Act No. 256/2013 Coll. makes precisely this window the riskiest part of the deal.
My job is to close the risks before signature: checking the title and encumbrances (mortgages, enforcement, easements), the seller's identity and the chain of past transfers; drafting a contract that protects you — not 'both parties equally'. The purchase price sits in attorney escrow during registration and is released to the seller only once your title is recorded.
I also handle leases — residential and commercial: contracts, handover protocols, deposit and termination disputes. For landlords I draft agreements that actually hold up when a non-paying tenant must leave, with the Civil Code's protective rules in mind.
I act for buyers and sellers of flats and houses, investors with rental properties, and families passing real estate between generations. For foreign buyers the key fact is simple: there are no restrictions on individuals buying Czech real estate, but bank financing and tax residence add layers to the deal — best untangled before the reservation agreement.
The Prague market is fast: good properties are reserved within days and sellers push the timeline. My job is to keep speed from eating the due diligence: a standard property audit takes two or three working days, and that is when everything surfaces that would later cost hundreds of thousands.
How I can help
Full transaction support
I run the deal end to end: reservation agreement, purchase contract, escrow, the registry filing, handover. I coordinate the parties, the agent and the mortgage bank so signatures, money and registrations line up in one timeline.
Title checks
Before signature I read the title deed and the deed collection: mortgages, enforcement, easements, third-party rights, the chain of transfers. The seller is checked separately in the insolvency and enforcement registers. You receive the risk report in writing.
Attorney escrow
The purchase price sits in a dedicated account supervised by the Czech Bar and is released to the seller only after your title is registered; if the deal collapses, it returns under rules written in advance. The release conditions leave no room for ambiguity.
Signatures and the Land Registry
I verify signatures, prepare and file the registration application and monitor the proceedings, answering any registry requests. The 20-day protective period and the month of waiting are exactly when a proper escrow protects both sides.
Leases
Residential and commercial leases: deposits, indexation, repair duties, termination. Landlords get structures that work when rent stops; tenants get protection against sudden eviction and withheld deposits.
Gifts and settlements
Family transfers, co-ownership settlements, carving out a share, deleting old mortgages: handled with tax consequences and future inheritance in mind, so today's solution does not become tomorrow's dispute.
Typical situations
Buying a new-build with a mortgage: we align the pledge agreement with the bank and chain 'loan → escrow → registration' so the seller is paid after registration and the bank gets its security. The buyer is never a single day 'without the money and without the flat'.
An old mortgage from a long-repaid loan surfaces on the title: before signing we obtain the bank's discharge and the deletion of the entry. Without the check, the buyer would have taken the property with someone else's — formally valid — encumbrance.
A tenant moves out leaving debt and damage: using the handover protocol and photos we set off the deposit and recover the rest through a payment order. A well-drafted lease turned the dispute into arithmetic.
Fees
A purchase is a fixed package: checks, contracts, escrow, the registry filing. The price depends on the property's complexity and is quoted before work starts; the escrow is set up under a separate agreement following Czech Bar rules.
The transaction package depends on the property and whether a mortgage is involved; the escrow is billed separately under Czech Bar rules. Every figure is known before the reservation agreement is signed.
What to prepare for the first consultation
A link to the listing or the property address — I will pull the registry extract myself
The reservation agreement or its draft, if the agent has sent one
Financing terms: the bank’s mortgage offer or the source of funds
For sellers: the acquisition title and any leases, if the property is let
Contacts of the other side or the agent, to coordinate the deal
Key terms
Katastr nemovitostí
The Land Registry: ownership arises only upon entry in it.
Advokátní úschova
Attorney escrow — the price on the attorney’s dedicated account, supervised by the Czech Bar, until the buyer’s title is registered.
Návrh na vklad
The registration application; the 20-day protective period runs from its filing.
Věcné břemeno
An easement that travels with the property: rights of residence, of way, of utilities — visible on the title.
Frequently asked questions
Why use attorney escrow?
It protects both sides: the money sits in the attorney's dedicated account and is released to the seller only after the buyer's title is registered with the Land Registry. Attorney escrows are supervised by the Czech Bar Association.
How long does Land Registry registration take?
The Registry records the transfer no earlier than after a 20-day protective period from filing; in practice about a month. The price stays in escrow the whole time.
What should I check before a reservation agreement?
The Land Registry extract (charges, enforcement, easements), the seller's identity and the reservation agreement itself — hidden penalties usually live there. Have it reviewed before signing.
The seller offers their own lawyer and contract. Should I accept?
A contract drafted by the seller’s side protects the seller. That is normal — but then you need your own attorney to review the text and restore the balance: payment terms, warranties, liability for hidden defects. A review takes a few days.
What is an easement and why does it matter?
An encumbrance that travels with the property: a right of residence, of way, utility lines. Some are harmless, others gut the property's value. All are visible in the Land Registry — I check them before the reservation agreement, not after.
Contact
- Address
- Konviktská 291/24, Staré Město, 110 00 Praha 12 minutes' walk from Národní třída (metro B, trams)
- Phone
- +420 700 000 000
- kancelar@advokatpopov.cz
- Data box
- [data box ID]
- Consultations
- Mon–Fri 9.00–18.00in person, online or by phone — by appointment