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Where and what information should you check before purchasing a building plot

Where and what information should you check before purchasing a building plot

15.10.2024

The construction of a residential building is an important decision, so the process must be approached with special care from the very beginning - from the moment of purchasing the land to be built on.

15.10.2024

The number of transactions with land plots intended for individual construction has decreased significantly at the beginning of this year. Statistical indicators of the Latvian real estate market, available on the Latvian Open Data Portal, show that the number of such transactions in the first quarter of this year, compared to the fourth quarter of last year, decreased by more than 11 percent.The situation has not improved significantly in the second quarter of this year, and, as the observations of the real estate agency AVER show, the average amount of credit for the purchase of real estate has also decreased by approximately 20 percent. The options for choosing when purchasing a land plot intended for construction are thus increasing. What a land buyer should find out and know before making a transaction in order to avoid problems with project implementation and unplanned expenses, advises “Aver Real Estate” franchise owner Ritvars Sebris.Similar to other real estate transactions, the purchase of building land often involves attracting bank financing: the increase in the “Euribor” rate currently means a significantly higher projected monthly loan payment, thus reducing the average loan amount that the borrower can afford, explains Ritvars Sebris. In the current circumstances, more people choose to purchase a ready-made house, as construction costs have also increased and in the conditions of price fluctuations and inflation, it has become more difficult to predict the total costs of a house construction project. At the same time, some people still choose to build a house on their own, but as the company’s observations show, not all nuances related to the land plot are always studied before the transaction is made, which are important for the construction of the house to begin and the work to proceed as planned.

Communications and infrastructure

One of the most useful websites for any buyer of a building plot is the publicly available website kadastrs.lv. There, any property can be found both by cadastral number, if the land seller has indicated it, and by address.The website can provide many useful facts for the buyer, such as the exact land area, information about when the land surveyor surveyed the property, see existing encumbrances and current documentation for the property. A particularly useful tool when purchasing land is the topography function on the website, which shows the communications in the land property and the surrounding area, including where and how gas, water and sewer lines were laid, as well as whether the plot has an electricity connection.Topographic information is available for those regions that have had such a connection at some point in history. A very important nuance to pay attention to on the website is also the infrastructure around the property – whether private or municipal roads and streets have been built along it. If there are no access roads and the property is surrounded by other private properties, it is necessary to investigate whether easement roads have been established – that is, in order to access the viewed plot of land, you may have to drive through someone else’s property, which must be agreed upon in writing with its owner.

If the plot of land is planned to be built on, but electricity, gas, water and other communications have not been connected to it, it is worth finding out the costs associated with connecting them in advance. For example, by contacting the company “Sadales tīkls”, any person, even one not related to the property, can request information – technical regulations for establishing a new electricity connection for a specific area, which also indicates the costs.

Similar statements are also prepared by gas and other utility service providers. It is advisable to request such information even if communications are located in the immediate vicinity of the property. For example, it may happen that the available capacity limit of the transformer located right next to the territory has been exhausted, which may mean the construction of a new transformer worth several tens of thousands of euros.

Protective zones and other restrictions

If the conclusions about the land property viewed after the initial study are positive, it is also worth visiting www.geolatvija.lv. There, both by searching on the map and by cadastral number, you can find the building regulations of the specific territory. It is important to investigate whether the property is partially or completely located in a protective zone and if one passes through the property, then where – in order to understand in time whether the remaining territory includes the planned construction and the communications necessary for the construction.When studying information about a specific plot of land, it is recommended to review the documents attached to it, for example, what is the permitted construction – the attached information documents usually describe in detail what and how high the planned construction in the territory may be, what is the minimum green area plan and the maximum building density. For example, there may be a situation where, due to building density restrictions, a house is allowed to be built in a much smaller area than intended.It is also worth looking at neighboring land plots on the website to avoid the situation that a multi-storey residential building will be built next door. However, if research on this website seems complicated, detailed information about a specific plot of land can also be obtained by contacting the relevant municipality.

Protected trees and cultural and historical heritage zones

Meanwhile, in the public version of the website ozols.gov.lv, a potential land buyer can find out whether the property being viewed is subject to any additional restrictions, including whether there are no habitat zones or protected trees in it. For example, serious construction is usually not allowed in habitat territories at all, which significantly limits their use.In turn, on the website mantojums.lv, you can view all cultural and historical heritage objects and monuments. This website is also worth looking at if there are seemingly no such objects on the real estate itself – it may be the case that such a monument is located in a neighboring territory and restrictions have been imposed around it in a wider area, which also affects the property being viewed. However, if the property is located near water bodies, it is advisable to also look at the map of flooded areas of the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre before making a purchase.

Where and what information should you check before purchasing a building plot

Communications and infrastructure

Protective zones and other restrictions

Protected trees and cultural and historical heritage zones

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