What to do after buying an apartment on the secondary market and in a new building

What to do after receiving and registering an apartment: general rules

In all of the following cases, you will need 3 main documents:

• passport;
• purchase and sale agreement (equity participation in construction);
• certificate of ownership.

Make copies of all documents. The bigger, the better. They will be useful to you in the future. After the certificate of ownership of the apartment has been received, you must contact the RCC (cash settlement center) with an application to open a personal account in your name. After registration, take an extract from your personal account (this will be useful). This is one of the most important actions - subsequently, in the event of erroneous accrual of payments, in this way it will be possible to prove the absence of rent arrears at the time of purchase of the apartment. Further, in accordance with the law, within 7 days from the date of change of residence you must register with the Federal Migration Service. This can also be done through the MFC, mail or government services portal. Next, you go to the management company and sign a service agreement. You visit an energy company (for example, Ulyanovskenergo) and sign a contract for power supply to the apartment. Take documents for water meters (if any), go to the water utility and re-register them in your name. If you have a gas stove, don't forget to visit Gorgaz as well. We went through the obligatory list of “works”. Now let's talk about additional features. If you need a landline telephone, we contact the nearest office of the telephone operator (Rostelecom, MGTS, etc.) and arrange an access point. Connecting to the Internet is done in the same way. But if the apartment already has a telephone, take information about the former owner from the RCC and provide it to the operator for re-registration. In addition, you can insure your apartment in case your neighbors flood you or you flood them. This is not necessary, but possible. It will also be useful to set the apartment to an alarm system.

What to do after buying a home in a new building?

The procedure for registering an apartment purchased as property from a developer begins with signing the transfer and acceptance certificate, as well as receiving a technical plan. From this moment on, the new owner has the obligation to pay accrued utility bills.

Based on clause 6 of Article 153 of the Housing Code, “The obligation to pay for residential premises and utilities” arises for: ...

6) the person who accepted from the developer (the person providing the construction of an apartment building) after issuing permission to put an apartment building into operation, premises in this building under a transfer deed or other transfer document, from the moment of such transfer.

The owner’s actions can be divided into several stages:

1. Clarification of the details of the management company in whose department the new house is located.

Sometimes, owners of residential premises in apartment buildings do not directly pay resource companies for water and heating. Invoices are issued by the management company, which is an intermediary between them and consumers. Finding out which management company has taken the house under its control will not be difficult. As a rule, in a new building, it is she who issues the keys to a brand new apartment and immediately signs the transfer acceptance certificate, and then an agreement with her for the management of the house.

In other cases, the local administration is obliged to provide this information, which announces the corresponding competition; the winning management company will begin servicing the house, or you will find out from the receipt in the mailbox.

2.Opening a personal account.

All information about the owners, registered citizens, characteristics of the apartment, accrued and paid utility bills is accumulated on the personal account. Opens for each apartment without fail. For a new building, it is being started for the first time, which the first owner must declare in writing. Along with the application, you will need to submit a deed of transfer, title documents (DCP, extract from the Unified State Register of Real Estate) and a civil passport of the owner of the property.

3. Sealing of water meters in the apartment.

When changing the design of the riser, as well as in the places where the meters are attached, mandatory approval is required from the management company. At the end of all repair activities, you must submit an application about your desire to seal the meters.

4. Obtaining registration.

If the apartment is purchased for permanent residence, register for yourself and those who will live together both permanently and temporarily. And after that you can move on to the fifth point.

5.Visiting energy sales, city gas, heating networks and providers.

Government Decree No. 442 obliges the consumer of electrical energy to enter into an agreement directly with the energy retailer. To do this, you will need to visit the organization at the location of the new building.

It should be borne in mind that renewing contracts is not mandatory. From the moment the resource is consumed, the owner is automatically charged a fee, and the management company where the personal account for the apartment is opened has the right to transfer information about the consumer.

Important! Report the number of registered persons to resource suppliers for gas, water, electricity, etc. This must be done after all citizens have registered in the new house, since all calculations according to the standard are calculated based on all registered residents in the apartment.

If gas stoves are installed in the house, it is necessary to conclude an agreement for the supply of resources with Gorgaz (we wrote in more detail here about the need to conclude a technical agreement for the maintenance of gas equipment).

In 2021, you can continue to use your old TV or Internet providers. You just need to clarify whether the new building is connected and if the answer is yes, then you need to renew the contract.

What to do after buying an apartment in a new building: acceptance of housing and registration of property rights

You have chosen a future apartment, entered into an agreement for shared participation in construction, contributed a certain amount of money, and now the house has already been put into operation. All that's left to do is register ownership of the purchased home. The whole procedure can be divided into 3 stages:

1. After the house is handed over, the developer invites you to sign the apartment acceptance certificate. After signing the deed, you will be given the keys to the home.

But let’s dwell in more detail on the issue of accepting an apartment, since after signing the act, all claims against the developer will be considered unfounded (except for those expressly provided for by law). It is better to look at the apartment during daylight hours, when everything is visible, even small cracks and chips on the walls. Carefully check the handles and locks to see if they function well. It is also worth paying attention to the strength of various structures installed in the apartment. If, in your opinion, everything is in order, sign the document and take the keys. Let’s make a reservation right away: the act must be signed in 3 copies: one - to the developer, the second - to you, the third - to the registration chamber. The act indicates all the information about the apartment being rented, including mention of the final payment between the parties. If the buyer has disagreements with the transfer and acceptance certificate, he can reflect this in a separate protocol, which is an integral appendix to the certificate. If for some reason you do not show up for acceptance of the apartment within 2 months, the developer has the right to draw up this act unilaterally.

1. Once the transfer and acceptance certificate is signed, you formalize ownership of the home. The second stage is intermediate and consists of working with BTI.

So, you go to the BTI to obtain a cadastral passport for housing, for which you provide:

• your passport;
• act of acceptance and transfer.

The cadastral passport takes 1 month to prepare.

1. And finally, the final stage: you go to the registration chamber to receive a certificate of ownership. To do this, please submit the following documents:
   agreement of shared participation in construction;
2. act of acceptance and transfer;
3. cadastral passport;
4. your passport;
5. copies of all documents.

The certificate is prepared within 1 month. After receiving it, the purchased apartment will be your property.

What to do after receiving the keys in a new building

Legal entities know the laws better and are more willing to cooperate with lending organizations. They have no worries about payment/non-payment. Especially if the construction company is on the list of accredited ones.

Recommended article: Is it possible to rent out an apartment purchased with a mortgage?

Note! Large financial institutions always carefully check the developer. Therefore, the risk for the buyer is minimized. And for force majeure situations, an insurance procedure is provided. In addition, if you choose an apartment from a developer-partner of the bank, you can save on interest, avoid unnecessary costs, paperwork and wasted time checking the property.

So, the acceptance certificate has been signed. But the title documents are not ready yet (the apartment does not yet belong to the borrower). What to do in this case? Prepare a package of documents so that you can register ownership of square meters.

You will need:

• agreement with a construction company;
• act of acceptance and transfer;
• mortgage (you will need to make an assessment to register a mortgage);
• loan agreement (credit);
• receipt of payment of state duty;
• permission from the guardianship authorities (if there are minor children in the family, and the share in the right will be registered in their name and pledged);
• a copy of the permit to put a residential building into operation (sometimes).

Important! Registration can be done independently through the MFC, or you can entrust it to a developer or a bank representative. More information about what to do after accepting an apartment with a mortgage in a new building is written in another article.

How do I get a tax deduction after buying an apartment?

Purchasers of an apartment who are personal income tax payers can receive a tax deduction. But here you should not take the words literally: the tax office does not give money; it only refunds the tax you previously paid. One of the main conditions is that the money for the apartment must be paid by the taxpayer himself, who is the owner of the property. Therefore, the tax deduction does not apply to cases where the cost of housing is paid with maternity capital and to cases when the apartment is paid for from the funds of the employer or other persons, including subsidies from the budget. In addition, you do not receive 13% of the tax paid if the transaction for the sale of housing is made with interdependent persons: spouse, parents, brother/sister, guardians. Receiving a tax deduction is provided in 2 situations:

1. If you purchased the apartment before the end of the tax period, you must fill out form 3-NDFL and submit it to the tax office. At the same time, we take a certificate of income from work in form 2-NDFL.

In order to receive a tax deduction, you must confirm your right to housing. This may be a document on ownership of an apartment (if a private house, then a certificate of land title is attached), an agreement for the purchase and sale of an apartment, an agreement for shared participation in construction, etc. If a tax deduction is obtained from a mortgage loan, then the corresponding loan agreement and repayment schedule. The second group of documents consists of payment documents: payment receipts, bank statements, etc. If a deduction is expected from common shared property, then it is necessary to submit a copy of the marriage certificate and an application (agreement) of the second spouse so that the second spouse deals with the issue of tax deductions. The above documents, together with the 3-NDFL declaration, must be submitted to the tax office and wait for the deduction.

1. If you purchased an apartment after the end of the tax period, and you want to receive a deduction now, then this option is possible by contacting your employer. But first you need to clarify your right to receive a deduction from the tax office.

To do this you need:

• write an application to receive a notification from the tax office for a deduction and submit an application to the inspectorate;
• collect a package of documents confirming the right to a tax deduction;
• after 1 month, receive a notification from the tax office regarding the right to deduction;
• provide it to the employer.

Such a notification will be the basis for non-withholding of income tax from wages until the deduction amount is fully repaid (13% of the cost of the apartment, but not more than 260,000 rubles).

After purchasing an apartment and going through a lengthy procedure for preparing documents, you should not relax, since the owner will face a new wave of consistent actions. Citizens who are faced with purchasing real estate for the first time, even if they are not doing it on their own, are wondering what needs to be done after purchasing an apartment so that the transaction is completed and there are no problems with government agencies in the near future.

First of all, you need to pay attention to the package of documents that the owner of the property must have. After signing the purchase and sale agreement, each party will have their own list of papers, and they differ from each other. So, for example, the buyer has in his hands a copy of the contract, an apartment acceptance certificate (drawn up at the request of the parties), a plan, an extract from the tax service, a certificate of no debt for utilities and, of course, a certificate of ownership.

Save your time and nerves. and within 5 minutes receive a free consultation

professional lawyer.

Save your time and nerves. Click here and order comprehensive support

real estate transactions of any complexity from lawyers with 20 years of experience.

What to do after buying an apartment on the secondary market

If the seller is a private person, he has many questions. How will the money be transferred, will the financiers quickly pay the funds, in what form, and so on. An experienced realtor can usually help resolve such issues.

Please note to the seller that there is no risk for him when selling an apartment with the participation of a bank. On the contrary, a financial institution guarantees transparency of the transaction and control over the transfer of money. According to the law, if within 10 days after signing the purchase and sale agreement, the selling party does not receive the agreed amount, the transaction is automatically invalidated.

The borrower's action algorithm is as follows:

• convince the seller to agree to the sale with a mortgage (explain that he will receive the loan money after registering the buyer’s property rights and collateral from the bank);
• if the spouse is not involved in the transaction, then obtain the notarized consent of the spouse to transfer real estate as collateral (how to take out a mortgage without the participation of a spouse is described in detail in another article);
• rent a safe deposit box or connect to a secure payment service from Sberbank (VTB) or open a letter of credit (read in detail how money is transferred during a mortgage to the seller in another article);
• sign a loan agreement and issue a mortgage;
• sign the DCT agreement and transfer the first payment;
• transfer/transfer credit money to the seller;
• get the keys and move in.

Maria Yurievna Sokhan

Mortgage expert, General Director of the legal agency "Irene", administrator of the portal onipoteka.ru

Attention! Typically, a private seller requires an advance or some amount as collateral. It is up to the buyer to decide whether to keep it or not in the event of termination of the transaction. If he transfers his personal money to the seller as an advance, he must take care of a receipt. Of course, there is a risk that the bank will refuse lending after approval (this can happen at any stage), and the buyer will lose the collateral amount. Fortunately, such cases are rare. It is better to pay an advance or a deposit when buying an apartment with a mortgage - described in another article.

The final stage of the transaction

After concluding a transaction, receiving a real estate property, making payment (unless other conditions have been agreed), the new owner of the property must immediately submit an application with documents to Rosreestr in order to formalize state registration of his acquired rights. Under no circumstances should this procedure be postponed, since as long as it hangs in the air, the seller officially remains the owner, and these are huge risks for the buyer.

There are several options for applying to Rosreestr and registering property rights; you can choose any one, the only difference is in convenience and timing. The following are currently available:

Documents to the registration authority

To obtain state registration for a purchased apartment, the new owner will need to provide a standard list of documents, namely:

An application on behalf of the new owner with a request to register his rights to the purchased apartment (filled out on a special form, which can be obtained at the place of application or independently downloaded from the official website of Rosreestr).

Although the above is a standard list, it can be supplemented in each individual situation. This usually happens when the transaction is complicated by additional circumstances, for example, the presence of young children or a mortgage.

What happens next?

Considering the fact that the conclusion of the transaction is not the final action on the part of the buyer, it is important to know what to do after purchasing an apartment first. The steps may vary slightly depending on the type of property purchased. So, for example, after completing state registration and receiving the appropriate certificate or extract from the Unified State Register, you must register for a new living space (unless we are talking about a non-residential property). No more than seven days are allotted for registration. However, registration is not always necessary. For example, if a buyer has permanent registration at another address, no one obliges him to immediately check out from there and register at a new place. But, at the same time, a citizen must reside in the region in which he is registered, unless we are talking about a temporary stay. Registration is completed at the migration service, through the Multifunctional Center or via the Internet.

After resolving the registration issue, you need to take care of utility bills for services supplied to the apartment.

Contacting the tax service

Separately, it is worth noting one more point regarding what actions the new owner needs to take after purchasing the apartments. This is an appeal to the tax service. In this structure, it is important to register for taxes in accordance with the law adopted in 2014, which states that every citizen is obliged to declare his real estate. In addition, there is talk of introducing a system of fines for late payment of taxes.

Another purpose of contacting the migration service with all the necessary documents is to obtain an income tax deduction. Thus, each owner has the right to a refund of thirteen percent, calculated on the minimum amount of the cost of housing. This opportunity is available even to those persons who purchased an apartment with the help of a mortgage.

To return an income tax deduction, you must provide the tax service with documentary reasons for receiving it, namely a 3-NDFL certificate, identification number and personal passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, a real estate purchase agreement, a transfer deed (if any), a written statement, as well as confirmation of payment purchases.

What to do after buying a resale home?

Housing Code in clause 5, part 2, art. 155 states that the owner, after registering the right to an apartment, is obliged to pay bills for housing and communal services.

After receiving an extract from the Unified State Register in Rosreestr, he needs to:

1. Contact the management company or homeowners association to conclude an agreement in your name.

2. Registration at the place of residence.

3. Make changes to your personal account.

The changes must concern information about the new owner, as well as all registered family members. To do this, submit a corresponding application to the Criminal Code with the presentation of a passport and documents on ownership of the apartment.

4. Renewal of contracts for electricity, heating, water and gas.

To change the owner of the documents, you will need to contact the energy sales and other organizations and provide the following documents:

• passport;
• personal account (ordered from the management organization);
• title documents for the apartment (an extract from the Unified State Register is enough - you can order a fresh one here).

If there are gas stoves in the house, the contract with the gas workers is also subject to renewal. The management company can also do this on behalf of the apartment owner, but this point needs to be clarified with them.

5. Changing data when water meters are installed in the apartment.

Each meter is installed and sealed according to the relevant act. Therefore, the new home owner needs to contact the water utility with documents for the apartment and a passport for the meters.

Important! Check the information on cold and hot water meters, namely about the verification periods; perhaps they have already expired and need to be replaced. In this case, payment is calculated according to the standard for each registered person.

We recommend reading:

• Do I need to install water meters?;
• Standard water consumption per person per month without a meter.

6. Renewal of the contract with the provider - provider of television, Internet and telephone services.

The new owner has the right to choose any provider who services the house, if there are several of them. If necessary, a home landline telephone can be re-registered to a new subscriber.

Sometimes it happens when buying in a resale apartment that a telephone and radio are installed in the apartment, for which a subscription fee is charged every month. To avoid this, instructions have been prepared on how to disable them:

• landline phone;
• radio point;