Buyer's due diligence checklist for Latvia
Buyer's due diligence checklistPārbaudes pirms nekustamā īpašuma pirkuma
The checks a buyer of a flat or a house in Latvia should make before paying earnest money or signing the purchase contract: the Land Register folio, the cadastre, the building and its debts, tenants, energy certificate, the buyer's own right to acquire, and the costs of registration.
Use it from the first visit until you sign the preliminary agreement or the purchase contract. In Latvia no official checks the deal for you unless you choose a notarial deed. With a private contract, the notary only certifies signatures on the corroboration request. Make each check yourself or ask a lawyer or notary to do it, and repeat the Land Register check on the day you sign.
Reviewed October 28, 2026. Not legal advice. Have a notary or lawyer check your case before you sign.
Key facts
- Applies to
- Whole country
- Who is the owner
- Only the person recorded in the Land Register (Civil Law art. 994).
- Flat transferred after 31 December 2025
- The buyer answers for up to 3 years of unpaid management, utility, reserve fund and land use payments (Dzīvokļa īpašuma likums art. 13.1).
- Co-owner pre-emption
- 2 months from receipt of a copy of the purchase contract (Civil Law art. 1073).
- Tenant in place
- A registered lease binds the buyer. An unregistered lease ends when the buyer is registered (Residential Tenancy Law art. 28).
- Tenant without a registered lease
- The buyer can give the tenant 2 months to leave after the buyer is registered (Residential Tenancy Law art. 28).
- Unregistered lease before 1 May 2021
- Binds the buyer until 31 December 2026 or its earlier end, or longer if a court claim to register it is filed (transitional provision 2).
- Energy certificate
- Needed to sell or let a building in use. Valid 10 years, temporary 2 years (Ēku energoefektivitātes likums art. 8(7)).
- State fee
- 1.5% of the property value for a natural person, at most 50,000 euros (Cabinet Regulation No. 1250, point 5.1).
- Russian and Belarusian buyers
- Banned from acquiring real estate since 3 July 2025, with narrow exceptions (art. 2 to 4).
- Companies they own or control
- The ban covers companies in which their citizens hold 25% or more or are the beneficial owners (art. 2 to 4).
The checklist
Seller and ownership
Land Register folio, Part II: the owner and the sharesZemesgrāmatas nodalījums, II daļa
Only the person recorded in the Land Register is the owner. Every recorded owner must sign the sale.
Folio Part II: prohibition notes and enforcement notesAizlieguma atzīmes
Seller's identity document, or a notarised power of attorney if an agent signsPilnvara
Compare the name and personal code with the folio. A notary who certifies signatures checks capacity and the scope of a power of attorney.
Consent of a spouse or co-owner, where neededLaulātā vai kopīpašnieka piekrišana
Ask the notary whether anyone else must consent. A missing consent can block the Land Register entry.
Waiver of pre-emption by co-owners when the seller sells a shareAtteikums no pirmpirkuma tiesībām
Co-owners can buy the share first within 2 months of receiving a copy of the purchase contract.
Land Register: encumbrances and mortgages
Folio Part III: servitudes and other real burdensNodalījuma III daļa (apgrūtinājumi)
These rights stay after the sale unless the holder agrees to delete them.
Folio Part IV: mortgagesNodalījuma IV daļa (ķīlas tiesības)
Agree in writing that the mortgage is paid from the price through escrow and deleted, with the bank's consent.
A fresh folio extract on the day you sign
New entries, prohibition notes and pending corroboration requests can appear at any time.
Cadastre and building
Cadastral data: boundaries, land area, buildings and their useKadastra informācija (kadastrs.lv)
Check that the land and every building you are paying for are recorded and match what you saw.
Cadastral value and fiscal cadastral valueKadastrālā vērtība
Acceptance into service of the building and of any extension or conversion, in the Construction Information System (BIS)Akts par ēkas pieņemšanu ekspluatācijā
Energy performance certificateĒkas energosertifikāts
Flat in a multi-apartment building
Statement of debts for management, utilities, the reserve fund and land use, from the manager and the service providersPārvaldnieka izziņa par maksājumiem
Owners' decisions on renovation, loans and the reserve fundDzīvokļu īpašnieku kopības lēmumi
A decided renovation or a building loan means future payments that come with the flat.
Who owns the land under the buildingDalītais īpašums
If the land belongs to someone else, flat owners pay for its use. Ask the amount and whether a buy-out is under way.
Occupants and leases
Any lease of the property, registered or notDzīvojamās telpas īres līgums
Persons with their residence declared at the addressDeklarētās personas
Agree in the contract that the seller ends declared residences and hands over the property empty.
Buyer's own position and costs
Your right to acquire: Russia and Belarus ban
State fee and office fee for the Land Register entry, plus the notary's fees and the bank's escrow feeValsts nodeva un kancelejas nodeva
Escrow arrangement for the priceDarījuma konts vai notāra depozīts
The price should reach the seller only after the Land Register records you as owner and deletes any mortgage.
Residence permit plans
From 15 September 2026, buying real estate no longer gives a temporary residence permit.
Formalities
A due diligence list is a checklist by nature. Latvia has no mandatory seller information pack, so the buyer must collect the documents.
- You do not sign this checklist.
- Most checks are online. The Land Register folio is on zemesgrāmata.lv and the cadastral data on kadastrs.lv.
- For a flat, the building manager issues the debt statement on written request.
- Attach copies of the key documents to the preliminary agreement or the purchase contract.
Common mistakes
- Reading the listing, not the Land Register folio. The folio shows the real owner, the shares, prohibition notes, servitudes, registered leases and mortgages.
- Checking the folio only once. A mortgage or a prohibition note can be added between your check and the signature. Check again on the day you sign.
- Buying a flat without the manager's debt statement. Since 2026 unpaid building costs of up to 3 years follow the flat to you.
- Assuming an extension, a loft conversion or a new terrace is legal. Compare the cadastral data and the building file with what you see.
- Ignoring a tenant. A registered lease binds you, and so can an unregistered lease signed before 1 May 2021.
- Assuming a purchase gives residence rights. From 15 September 2026, the Immigration Law no longer grants a temporary residence permit to real estate buyers.
Legal basis
- Civillikums (Civil Law), Part Three, art. 994 (ownership by Land Register entry) and art. 1073 (co-owner pre-emption)
- Zemesgrāmatu likums (Land Register Law), on the structure of the folio and corroboration requests
- Dzīvokļa īpašuma likums (Apartment Property Law), art. 13.1 (buyer's liability for the costs of a flat), applies to transfers after 31 December 2025
- Dzīvojamo telpu īres likums (Residential Tenancy Law) of 17 March 2021, art. 28 (lease on change of owner) and transitional provisions 2 to 5 (leases signed before 1 May 2021)
- Ēku energoefektivitātes likums (Energy Performance of Buildings Law), art. 7(1) (when certification is required) and art. 8(7) (validity)
- Nacionālo drošību apdraudošu darījumu ierobežošanas likums (Law on Restricting Transactions that Threaten National Security) of 19 June 2025, in force from 3 July 2025, art. 2 to 4
- Cabinet Regulation No. 1250 of 27 October 2009 on the state fee for registering ownership and mortgages in the Land Register, point 5.1 (rate for a natural person), point 6 (close relatives) and point 8 (cadastral value as the floor)
Sources
- Princips "parāds seko dzīvoklim": no janvāra jaunajiem īpašniekiem atbildība arī par iepriekš nenomaksātajiem rēķiniem
- Stājas spēkā aizliegums Krievijas un Baltkrievijas pilsoņiem iegādāties nekustamo īpašumu Latvijā
- Kopīpašnieka pirmpirkuma tiesība
- Ēku energoefektivitāte- Informācija un skaidrojumi
- New Immigration Law Takes Effect: Key Changes and Regulations
- 2026 Investment Climate Statements: Latvia
- Nodevu un nodokļu aprēķināšanai izmanto īpašuma fiskālo kadastrālo vērtību
- Nosaka maksimālo valsts nodevu īpašuma tiesību nostiprināšanai zemesgrāmatā
- Dzīvojamo telpu īres likums, transitional provisions 2 to 5
- Zemesgrāmatu valsts nodeva turpmāk nedrīkstēs būt lielāka par 50 000 euro