How to buy a house in Albania: 9 steps from search to ASHK registration

Buying a house in Albania takes nine steps: set your budget, search and compare, view the property, check the documents at the cadastre, agree on the price, sign the preliminary contract, secure the mortgage if you need one, sign the final contract at the notary and register the sale with the State Cadastre Agency (ASHK, Agjencia Shtetërore e Kadastrës). The home only becomes yours once the sale is registered: under the Civil Code (Article 83), a legal act transferring ownership of real estate is made by notarial deed and registered, otherwise it is not valid.

This guide explains the steps of buying property in Albania in order, with the official fees and deadlines we checked on 1 October 2026. At each step you will find the hyrja.al pages that help you and the articles that cover the topic in more depth.

Notary fee for the sale, depending on the contract value

0.23% to 0.35%

ASHK registration, the new certificate and the notary's application to ASHK

12,000 lek

Seller's tax on the gain from the sale

15%

ASHK's maximum deadline for a complete application

21 days

The nine steps at a glance

1. Set your budget: the price, the buying costs and the down payment.
2. Search and compare properties by price per m² within the same area.
3. View the property with a critical eye, ideally more than once.
4. Check the ownership certificate and the property record at ASHK.
5. Agree on the price and, if you work with an agent, put the commission in writing.
6. Sign the preliminary contract and pay the deposit by bank transfer.
7. Get the bank's approval, if you are buying with a mortgage.
8. Sign the final contract at the notary.
9. Register the sale with ASHK and receive the certificate in your name.

1. Set your budget: price, costs and down payment

Your budget is not just the price of the house. Under the Civil Code (Article 708), the costs of the sale contract are paid by the buyer, unless the parties agree otherwise. At the same time, Law No. 110/2018 "On the notary profession" (Article 104) makes all parties to the deed liable to the notary for the costs. So write down in the preliminary contract who pays what.

The notary (noteri) fee for selling real estate is a percentage of the contract value and goes down as the value rises. The percentage of the band applies to the whole value. If the price in the contract is lower than the official reference price for the area, the notary calculates the fee on the reference price.

The other fees are fixed: 5,000 lek to register the sale contract with ASHK, 3,000 lek for the new ownership certificate and 4,000 lek for the application the notary files with ASHK. For an apartment priced at 10,000,000 lek, the notary takes 0.30%, i.e. 30,000 lek; together with the 12,000 lek in fixed fees, the buyer's official costs come to 42,000 lek, about 0.42% of the price. For prices in euro, the calculator below does the same calculation.

If you are buying with a mortgage, think about the down payment from the start. Under Decision No. 25 of 7 May 2025 of the Bank of Albania (Banka e Shqipërisë), a new home loan can cover up to 85% of the value when it is in lek (ALL) and up to 75% when it is in foreign currency; for a second home or a property to rent out, the limits are 80% and 70%. So you need a down payment of at least 15% or 25% of the value, plus the costs above. Bank terms are on the Home loans page, and all the costs, with sources, are in property buying costs.

2. Search and compare by price per m²

Total prices are hard to compare because floor areas differ. Compare the price per square metre within the same neighbourhood and ask whether the stated area is net or also includes part of the common areas. Net area is the floor area inside the home that you use yourself, without the walls and without the common parts. In the listings for sale every listing shows the price per m², and the market data gives prices by city. Before you make an offer, test the price with the free property valuation, which compares it with similar properties and with the official reference prices.

Do not confuse reference prices with market prices. They are values for tax purposes, set by the Council of Ministers (DCM No. 457 of 26 July 2023); for the city of Tirana they range from 81,700 to 228,400 lek per m², depending on the zone. The notary and the tax on the sale use them as a minimum, so they matter for the costs, but they do not tell you what a particular apartment is worth.

A note on listings: hyrja.al verifies agencies and agents through their business registration number, but it does not verify private owners and does not show in real time whether a property is still available. Always ask whether the property is still for sale and check the documents yourself, as explained in step 4.

3. View the property with a critical eye

Visit the property during the day and, if you can, come back at another time too. Take a short list with you:

• Damp and mould on walls, ceilings and around windows, especially on the top floor and the ground floor.
• The windows, the insulation and how the home is heated and cooled.
• The building's monthly service charge, who manages it and what it covers.
• The lift, the stairs, the roof terrace and the common areas.
• Parking: an owned space, a rented one or only on the street.
• Noise from the street and nearby bars and restaurants, in the evening and at the weekend.

If you live outside Albania, you can first view it on a video call, but before any payment ask someone you trust to visit in person. The guide to buying property from abroad explains how each step works remotely. For an apartment that is not yet finished, the checks are different: read how to buy an off-plan apartment.

4. Check the documents at ASHK before any payment

Before you pay a deposit, ask the seller for the ownership certificate and the property record (kartela e pasurisë), freshly issued. The property record is ASHK's register entry for a property: who owns it, its area and any burden on it, such as a mortgage or a seizure. Under Law No. 111/2018 "On the cadastre" (Article 17), the ownership certificate always comes with a copy of the property record and the cadastral map. At ASHK, the certificate costs 3,000 lek, the copy of the record 1,500 lek and the map extract 1,500 lek. Check four things:

• The seller's name matches the certificate and, if there are co-owners or heirs, all of them agree to the sale.
• The area, the floor and the property number match what you were shown.
• The record has no registered encumbrances, such as a mortgage, a seizure or a pending lawsuit. Under the cadastre law (Article 56), as long as there is a mortgage no contract transferring ownership to third parties is registered, so the mortgage must be paid off and removed.
• If the seller acquired the property during marriage, the notarial deed must state the marital property regime and the presumption of legal co-ownership (Law No. 110/2018, Article 105), so the spouse must be part of the sale.

For new builds, also check the building permit and the building's occupancy certificate. According to the information sheet of the National Territorial Development Agency (AZHT), the occupancy certificate is applied for only online on e-Albania (the government services portal) and is issued within 30 days. ASHK registers the finished building and opens records for the buyers only after it receives this certificate (Law No. 111/2018, Article 51). If you buy before this stage, ask for the contract with the developer to be registered with ASHK, so the apartment is not promised to someone else (Article 50); the fee is 4,000 lek. The full list, for buyer and seller, is in the article Documents for buying a home.

5. Agree on the price and the commission

Once you have your own valuation and the documents are in order, make an offer and agree in writing on the price, on what it includes (for example furniture, parking or a storage room) and on the date the keys are handed over.

If you work with an agency, ask for the brokerage contract in writing. Under Law No. 9/2022 on real estate brokers, a contract not made in writing is not valid and, if it has no term, it lasts 6 months (Article 13). It must state the fee and the payment terms (Article 14). Read two points carefully: exclusivity, which stops you from using another broker for the same property (Article 15), and the rule that obliges the client to pay the full fee if they complete the purchase within 6 months after the contract ends as a result of the broker's work, unless the contract provides otherwise (Article 16).

6. The preliminary contract and the deposit

Many purchases start with a preliminary contract at the notary, which sets out the property, the price, the deposit, the date of the final contract and what happens if one party withdraws. The Civil Code (Article 601) defines the deposit (kapar) as the sum one party gives the other on account of the price, to confirm that the contract has been concluded and to secure its performance. If the contract is not performed through the buyer's fault, the buyer loses the deposit; if the fault is the seller's, the seller returns double (Article 602).

Pay the deposit only after the documents have been checked, by bank transfer to an account in the name of the seller listed on the certificate. You can also ask for the sum to be held in the notary's special bank account, from which the notary releases it to the other party as the deed provides (Law No. 110/2018, Articles 105 and 133). The notary's official fee for holding a sum on deposit is 4,000 lek.

7. The mortgage: bank approval before the final contract

If you are buying with a mortgage, talk to the bank before the preliminary contract and leave enough time in it for the approval. The bank values the property and checks your income. Under the Bank of Albania's decision, as a rule the instalments on all your debts cannot exceed 40% of your income for a loan in lek and 35% for a loan in foreign currency (35% and 30% for a second home or a property to rent out). The Bank of Albania also recommends that the loan last no longer than 30 years, or end earlier if you reach retirement age first.

In the second quarter of 2026, the average rate on new mortgage loans was 3.8% in lek and 5.2% in euro, according to the Monetary Policy Report 2026/III. Bank offers, with rates and maximum financing, are on the Home loans page.

A mortgage also brings two official costs. The mortgage contract at the notary costs from 2,000 to 15,000 lek depending on the loan amount, for example 6,000 lek for a loan of 5 to 15 million lek. Registering the mortgage with ASHK costs 8,000 lek for loans up to 1 million lek, 17,000 lek for loans from 1 to 10 million and 30,000 lek above 10 million. If you qualify for a state programme, read about the subsidised home loan. The programme has not opened yet: the social housing bill was approved by the government on 21 October 2026 and awaits a vote in Parliament.

8. The final contract at the notary

On the day of signing, the notary verifies the parties' identity and the ownership in the electronic real estate register, and attaches the copy of the property record and the map to the deed (Law No. 110/2018, Article 105). The deed must also state how the price is paid; what to check in it before you sign is covered in the final sale contract at the notary. If one party does not know Albanian, the notary translates the deed personally or through an interpreter accepted by the notary and the parties (Article 100).

If you cannot be present, someone can sign for you with a power of attorney. For a contract made by notarial deed, the power of attorney must also be notarial (Civil Code, Article 72), and at a notary in Albania a special power of attorney costs 3,000 lek.

Before registration, the seller pays the tax on the gain from the sale: 15% of the difference between the sale price and the purchase price, where the sale price is the higher of the contract price and the reference price. ASHK does not register the sale until the payment has been confirmed (Law No. 29/2023, Articles 17 and 24). The municipality has its say too: ASHK does not register the transfer unless the documents come with the municipality's certificate confirming that the property taxes have been paid (Law No. 9632/2006, Article 24).

Finally, banks, notaries and real estate agents are subject to the anti-money laundering law and, where necessary, may ask you for proof of the source of the money (Law No. 9917/2008, as amended). Keep your salary statements, bank statements or loan contract ready.

9. Registration with ASHK and the certificate in your name

The notary declares the contract in the digital cadastre at the moment of signing and sends the paper copy to ASHK within 10 days (Law No. 111/2018, Article 24). The application for registration must be filed within 30 days; after that deadline, late interest of 10% of the registration fee is charged for each day of delay, up to 300,000 lek (Article 25). ASHK must process a complete application within 15 days and no later than 21 calendar days (Article 29).

Registering the sale contract costs 5,000 lek and the new certificate 3,000 lek. ASHK also offers a fast-track procedure within 24 hours, at 10,000 lek for registering the sale and 3,500 lek for the certificate. You receive the ownership certificate in your name once you have paid the service fee, and it is the proof that the home is yours.

After the purchase

• The annual building tax for homes is 0.05% of the value (Law No. 9632/2006, Article 22/2). In Tirana it is paid monthly with the water bill; how it is calculated is explained in property tax 2026.
• Transfer the electricity and water contracts to your name and note the meter readings on handover day.
• If you plan to rent it out, sign a written contract: see the rental contract, with a template and the landlord's tax. You can list the home on hyrja.al.
• Keep the contract and the bank payment receipts. When you sell, the tax is calculated on the difference between the sale price and the purchase price, so you will need these documents.

Frequently asked questions