Documents before the contract review
A solid review of the purchase contract depends on the documents. This checklist helps you gather everything essential before the appointment so that risks become visible early.
Before a purchase contract can be reviewed meaningfully, the basics must be available: a current land register extract, the property documents and the key financing figures. If something is missing, central questions remain open, such as which encumbrances burden the property or whether it complies with zoning.
This checklist is a guide and does not replace an assessment of the individual case. It helps you to proceed in a structured way and to have ready the documents that are most often missing in practice.
Work through the points before the advisory appointment. You can tick off each point; the status is stored on your device. Use the buttons to print or reset the list.
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01 Property and ownership documents
These documents describe what you are buying and who currently owns it.
02 Encumbrances, third-party rights and tenancies
This shows whether the property is unencumbered or third-party rights exist.
03 Financing and incidental costs
Clarify early whether financing and total costs are secured.
What matters legally
The land register is decisive for the legal position of the property. Ownership is acquired only upon registration (§ 431 Austrian Civil Code), and good faith in the land register is protected (§ 1500 Civil Code). An up-to-date extract is therefore the basis of any serious review.
Existing tenancies pass to the buyer because sale does not break lease (§ 1120 Civil Code). Public-law requirements such as zoning and building regulations also limit use. Which documents are needed in the individual case depends on the property and the intended use.
This checklist is a general guide to the Austrian legal position (as of June 2026) and makes no claim to completeness or legal certainty. It does not replace advice in the individual case and is not a finished legal document.
BRANDAUER Rechtsanwälte
Salzburg law firm for real estate, property and corporate law
Every matter is handled by a coordinated team of lawyers, legal staff and specialists. In property purchase matters we look at the contract, land register, escrow and tax consequences together.
Reviewing a contract, arranging escrow, securing handover?
When buying property, the contract and the land register decide. Call us directly or send an email, callback within one business day.
A direct line to the firm.
Address
BRANDAUER Rechtsanwälte GmbH Giselakai 51 5020 Salzburg
Phone
+43 662 6280000