The first 30 days after buying property in Georgia: a checklist

What should you do in the first 30 days after buying?

The day you sign is not the day the work ends. In Georgia ownership passes when the Public Registry registers you as the owner, and from then on a short list of tasks decides how smoothly the first year goes: the documents to keep, the accounts to move into your name, the residence permit if you want one, the tax deadlines that apply to owners, and the first steps towards living in the flat or letting it.

This checklist puts those tasks in the order most owners meet them, week by week. Tick the lines as you go; the boxes stay ticked in your browser on this device. Where a task needs more explanation, the line links to the guide that covers it.

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Days 1-3: confirm that the flat is yours

Registration takes from the same day to four working days after the documents are filed, depending on the fee you chose: GEL 350, GEL 270 or GEL 150. Until the new extract shows your name, the purchase is not complete.

• Order a new extract in your name It is your proof of ownership for every office you will visit.
• Check every line of it Your name, the area, the cadastral code, and no encumbrance you did not agree to.
• Confirm the seller's mortgage is gone If the price paid off a bank loan, the mortgage should no longer appear.
• Release any money held back A notary deposit or escrow pays the seller once you are registered.
• Scan the full purchase file Contract, translation, receipts, extracts, power of attorney.

Week 1: keys, meters and accounts

• Take the keys with a signed handover note Meter readings, number of keys and the condition of the flat.
• Change the locks or the lock cylinder You rarely know how many keys to the old lock exist.
• Put electricity in your name With the new extract and your passport.
• Put water and gas in your name The water company must register you within five working days.
• Check that the cleaning fee is billed to you The seller owes it until the end of the month the flat changed hands.
• Introduce yourself to the owners' association Ask about the monthly fee and how to pay it.
• Save every account number for payment As templates in your banking app or for automatic payment.

The guide to utilities for a new owner lists the companies and documents, and the handover checklist covers a new-build flat in detail.

Week 2: the residence permit, if you want one

Owning a flat in Georgia does not give you a residence permit by itself; you apply for it. The property route needs a market value above $150,000, set by an accredited valuer, and the application must be filed at least 40 calendar days before your current lawful stay ends.

• Count your days of lawful stay From your last entry, so you know your deadline.
• Order the valuation from an accredited valuer The report must show a value above $150,000.
• Prepare and translate your documents Passport, extract, valuation, and family papers if relatives apply.
• Choose the processing speed GEL 300 for 30 days, GEL 450 for 20, GEL 600 for 10.
• File at a Public Service Hall or online Online filing still needs a live video interview and the originals.

Our residence permit guide covers the full route, including family members.

Week 3: taxes that now apply to you

As an owner you may owe property tax and, if you let the flat, income tax on the rent. Neither has a deadline inside your first month, but both are easier to set up now than to discover later.

• Check whether property tax applies Only if your family's income last year exceeded GEL 100,000.
• Note the property tax dates Return by 1 November, payment by 15 November, pro rata for the months owned.
• Open access to the Revenue Service portal You will need it for a return or for the landlord register.
• If you will let: plan the landlord registration Before 1 April of the following year, to qualify for the 5% rate on rent for living.

The guides to property tax and rental income tax explain both in full.

Week 4: living in it or letting it

• Note your defect deadlines For a new flat, write down when any warranty and claim period ends.
• Plan any repairs or finishing Get written quotes; works in a new building may have to follow the association's rules.
• Decide who looks after the flat when you are away A neighbour, a manager or a service with a key.
• Consider insuring the flat Ask insurers for cover of the flat and its contents.
• If you will let: prepare a written lease Deposit, notice and who pays the bills.
• Store the originals safely And keep copies in a second place, outside Georgia.

New build or resale: what changes

For a resale flat, the first month is mostly about accounts and paperwork: the flat already has meters, an association and a history of bills. For a flat bought from a developer, the order is different. The building may only just have been accepted into operation, the permanent electricity and gas connections may still be in progress, the association may be forming, and the defects you find in the first weeks are the ones the developer is most likely to fix. Keep a dated list of every problem you notice, with photos, and send it to the developer in writing rather than reporting it by phone.

If you bought from abroad

If you were not in Georgia for the signing, most of the first month can still be done through a representative with a power of attorney: the extract, the utility accounts, the meeting with the association, even the valuation for a residence permit. What a representative cannot do for you is the residence permit interview, which needs you in person or by live video, and the decision about how the flat will be used. Ask your representative for a short written report at the end of each week, with photos of the meters, the keys and the flat, so that you can tick this list from where you are. Our guide to buying remotely explains how to set up the power of attorney.

If you plan to let the flat

Letting raises its own short list. Decide between long lets and nightly stays, since the tax, the furniture and the time you spend differ. For a long let, prepare a written lease with the deposit and the notice periods, and decide whether the tenant or you will hold the utility accounts. For nightly stays, check whether the building's association allows them and what a management company would charge. In both cases, the landlord registration with the Revenue Service is what keeps rent for living at the 5% rate. Our guide to renting out an apartment covers the lease and the tax.

What the first month costs

Most of the first month's costs are small and predictable. Registration was paid at signing, at GEL 150, 270 or 350 depending on the speed. A new extract ordered online costs GEL 13. Moving the water account costs nothing, and the electricity network does not charge you again for a connection that already exists. If your new-build flat still needs a gas connection, the regulated fee is GEL 1,100 in Tbilisi and Batumi, which households may spread over 17 months. Owners' associations typically charge GEL 20-40 a month for basic service. If you apply for a residence permit, add the valuation and the agency fee of GEL 300, 450 or 600 depending on speed, plus translations. A new lock cylinder and a set of keys are a minor cost next to these.

Mistakes owners make in the first month

• Waiting for the seller to transfer the utility accounts, when the new owner has to apply.
• Assuming the purchase brings a residence permit, and missing the filing deadline.
• Reporting defects in a new flat by phone instead of in writing with photos.
• Leaving the only copies of the contract and receipts in the flat.
• Letting the flat before deciding how the rent will be declared.

Risks and exceptions

• Accounts left in the seller's name. Bills and notices go to someone else.
• A missed stay deadline. The permit application must be filed in time.
• Unchanged locks. Old keys may still be in circulation.
• Lost originals. Contracts and receipts are needed again when you sell or apply.
• Unregistered letting. Rent may be taxed at a higher rate.

Frequently asked questions

When does the flat legally become mine?

When the Public Registry registers you as owner; order a new extract to confirm it.

Do I get a residence permit automatically when I buy?

No. You apply for it, with a valuation above $150,000, before your lawful stay ends.

Do I have to pay property tax in my first year?

Only if your family's income exceeded GEL 100,000; the tax is then due for the months you owned the flat.

Do I need to register as a landlord?

If you let the flat for living, registering before 1 April of the following year keeps the 5% rate.

Can someone do these tasks for me?

Most of them, with a power of attorney; the residence permit interview needs you.

Is home insurance compulsory?

We found no rule requiring it for a privately owned flat; it is your choice.

What should I keep from the purchase?

The contract and its translation, all extracts, receipts, the handover note and the power of attorney.

What if I find a defect after moving in?

Record it with photos and notify the seller or developer in writing straight away.

Sources

1. Civil Code of Georgia (Article 183), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 18 October 2026)
2. Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons (Articles 15 and 20.1), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 18 October 2026)
3. Government Resolution No 520 on residence permit procedures (Article 3), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 18 October 2026)
4. Tax Code of Georgia (Articles 81, 202-206), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 18 October 2026)
5. GNERC Resolution No 32 of 2008: Drinking Water Supply and Consumption Rules, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 18 October 2026)
6. Immovable property registration: fees and terms, National Agency of Public Registry (accessed 18 October 2026)

Change log

• 18 October 2026 - Checklist published from the Civil Code, the Aliens Law, Resolution No 520, the Tax Code and the water supply rules.