House in yambol

@Harry1044

Welcome to the expat.com forum and good luck with your potential move to Bulgaria!

The Notary Act is your deed and proof of ownership, so you definitely don't NEED your agent. Which is just as well as they have likely disappeared after all this time. :-)

After 17 years uninhabited, I'd be a bit concerned about its condition, so I think the first step is to make a visit just to check the place out and see whether it's suitable for you to retire to, and how much work/money is going to be involved in making it comfortable.

If you don't have your keys then a local locksmith will change the locks for you.

If it all looks good, and you want to proceed, then you'll need to check on the status of electricity and water, and pay any outstanding bills. And maybe change the name on the account, unless your agent did it at the time of your purchase.

You'll also need to go to the property tax office at the local municipality, and resolve the property tax situation. There are fines for late payment, but, luckily, property taxes are not high in Bulgaria. I recently resolved my outstanding taxes for 10 years, and it was 1,600 euros.

(Mine was a 40,000 leva purchase, so you can figure out your approximate taxes relative to this, and your purchase price listed in your Notary Act.)

All these folks will want to see your Notary Act, so take it with you (with copies). If you purchase the property in both names, that might make it a more complex issue, and it may prove necessary to get a new notary act issued in your name only. But hopefully they will treat it as either/or, and they will be fine when they see your name on the deed.

This sort of bureaucracy is a bit stressful for us foreigners, so I recommend talking a translator/interpreter along with you. Mine charges 50 leva for an hour, so it's not outrageous.

You will also have to sort out your residency problem because of Brexit.

You will be impressed with how Yambol town has changed, the center and the park are looking good these days!

Isn't it just! Yambol has had such a makeover in the last few years, it's unrecognisable. Family & friends are always very impressed when we go into Yambol. It has a great vibe.