What to ask at a flat viewing: a checklist

Documents to ask for in advance

• A current title deed extract (list vlastnictví, LV)Who the owner is, and whether the flat carries a mortgage, an easement or an enforcement order. You can download it yourself from the land registry’s online service (Nahlížení do katastru).
• Type of ownership: freehold or cooperativeWith a cooperative flat you buy a share in the cooperative. A mortgage is harder, and banks often won’t accept the flat as collateral.
• Energy performance certificate (PENB)The seller must have one. Its class, A to G, hints at what you’ll pay for heating.
• The last year’s statement of service charges and energyActual costs tell you more than the PENB class.
• Minutes of the owners’ association (SVJ) meetings for the last two yearsPlanned repairs, disputes between neighbours, the building’s debts.
• The size of the repair fund and the monthly contributionA small fund and an old roof mean you’ll pay for the repair yourself, in one go.
• Confirmation that the flat owes nothing to the SVJUnpaid contributions can pass to the new owner.
• The floor plan and the area stated in the owner’s declarationCheck whether the area in the listing includes a balcony or a cellar.

The building

• When the risers were replacedOld cast-iron and steel pipes are a common, expensive repair. Ask which year they were replaced.
• The state of the roof, the facade and the insulationWhen the building was last renovated, and whether a renovation is planned.
• The lift: its age and planned replacementA new lift is paid for from the repair fund, often with an extra one-off contribution too.
• Shared areasThe entrance, the stairs and the cellars hint at how people look after the building.
• Damp in the cellar and on the ground floorA musty smell or salt marks on the walls point to a problem with the damp-proofing.
• ParkingYour own space, a paid parking zone, or a fight for a spot every evening?

The flat

• Windows: material, seals, condensationOpen them. Condensation and mould in the corners are common where windows were replaced badly.
• Mould behind furniture and in cornersOne freshly painted wall is a reason to ask why.
• Wiring: copper or aluminiumAluminium wiring from the 1970s often needs replacing. Ask about the electrical inspection report.
• Heating and hot waterCentral, per-flat or electric? How old the boiler is, and when it was last inspected.
• Water pressure and drainageRun the tap and the shower at once, and flush. A slow drain can mean blocked risers.
• Floors and noise from the neighboursCreaks, uneven spots, footsteps you can hear from upstairs.
• Light and the view at different times of dayWhich way the windows face, and what will be outside them in five years (an empty plot?).
• What stays in the flatThe kitchen units, the appliances, the built-in wardrobes. Have it written into the contract.

The area

• The journey to where you actually goTry the trip to work or school at rush hour, not on a Sunday afternoon.
• Noise: roads, trams, businesses on the ground floorCome back in the evening too, if you can.
• Shops, nursery, school, doctorWhat you have within walking distance.
• Planned building work nearbyThe local zoning plan hints at what will go up under your windows.

Questions for the agent or the owner

• Why is the flat being sold?You can’t check the answer, but the reaction tells you a lot.
• How long has the flat been on the market, and has there been an offer yet?A flat that hasn’t sold for a long time leaves room to negotiate.
• How the reservation works and who holds the moneyIn escrow with a lawyer, a notary or a bank, never in the agent’s account without a contract.
• When the flat would be free to hand overEspecially if tenants live there today.