Reading a developer's brochure in Georgia: marketing or fact

Which brochure lines are sales talk and which are facts?

A brochure mixes adjectives ("luxury living", "the best view in the city") with statements a third party can check: a permit, floors, an area, a date, an energy class, a seismic rating, a yield. This decoder takes 17 claim types and gives, for each, what it means, one official check and what to write into the contract. Our developer guide's short table of seven claims is not repeated.

The Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights, unchanged since 15 December 2023, counts advertising as commercial practice and bans misleading practices (Articles 24 to 26), but under Article 24(3) an advert that exaggerates, or is not meant literally, is not unfair. Whether the law covers a flat purchase is not confirmed: it defines goods as movable things, and a buyer who lets the flat may not be a consumer. A lawyer should confirm it for your case.

The 17 claim types at a glance

Mark every brochure sentence that matches a row and send the right-hand column to the developer as written questions.

"Permit obtained", floors and renders: is it the approved building?

A construction permit comes in stages, from land-use conditions to the permit itself, and "permitted" in a brochure may mean only the first. In Tbilisi, the Architecture Service's public decision search needs no login; for other cities we found no confirmed online register, so ask for a copy with number, date, issuing body, floors and approved drawings (see checking a construction permit). A second test: the registry accepts a preliminary contract for a future unit only after the land-use conditions exist (Law on Public Registry, Article 15-6(10)). A false permit claim is on the consumer law's list of always-unfair practices (Article 25(1)), if that law applies.

The approved project also states the floor count; ask whether an amendment adding floors is pending. Lay the renders beside the approved facade and site plan, and check that neighbouring buildings on the cadastral map have not vanished. The contract should refer to the approved project, not the brochure.

Earthquake points and energy classes: what can the numbers mean?

A portal page for a villa project near Batumi, in the developer's words, published on 4 May 2022, claimed "the reserve of seismic resistance up to 9 points". The binding norm, PN 01.01-09, sets a design intensity per settlement on the MSK-64 scale: 7 points for Batumi and for the project's village, 8 for Tbilisi. "9 points" there means either a design above the norm, which the structural calculation note will show, or marketing. An agency listing updated on 6 August 2024 offered "Seismic resistance on the Richter scale 8 on points", but the Richter scale measures an earthquake's magnitude at its source, not shaking at a site, so no building can be rated on it. Our earthquake building code page lists the papers to request.

Once a unit is certified, its energy class must appear in sale and rent adverts (GEL 200 fine if left out), but on 3 November 2026 we found no act in force setting the class thresholds and no register online, so ask who certified an "A-class" claim and on what basis (see energy efficient apartments). For "eco" or "green", the Competition and Consumer Protection Agency's guide on environmental claims warns that such broad words can mislead unless defined, and that small print cannot cure a misleading overall impression.

Whose square metres? Testing the area figure

Registration follows the internal measurement rules of Government Resolution No 315 of 3 October 2024. Under Article 2(7), a unit's area is the floor between its enclosing walls, without walls, columns, shafts or internal stairs, and it "includes the areas of the loggia, balcony, terrace and veranda", with no reduction stated. A brochure figure taken to the outside of the walls will be larger, and a flat with a big terrace has less indoor space than its total suggests. Our price per square metre entry shows a listing of 310 m² that the registry put at 284 m², making each registered m² 9.2% dearer. State in the contract the area on which the price rests, and a per-m² correction, up or down, if the handover measurement differs.

Fixed income, ROI and payback: what is behind the percentage?

A listing for shares in Batumi hotel rooms, updated on 20 February 2026, advertised a promised income (our paraphrase of its word) "of 8% for 5 years - prescribed in the contract", with "60% - the owner" and "40% - management company". Compare it with the market: Galt & Taggart measured a gross yield of 8.7% on new Tbilisi flats in August 2026, and 7.1% for Batumi in June 2026 (8.8% for the year 2024). Gross is before costs, tax, empty weeks and the operator's cut. In our reading, a fixed rate at or above that level for a set term is paid from the price or the developer's cash, and ends when the term does.

The Law on Advertising bans promising future profits only in adverts for securities (Article 11(3)), not flats. Ask in writing which company pays (check it in the business register), gross or net of which costs, for how long, what follows, and what security stands behind it. Compare with our rental yields by city and the rental pool entry.

"Prices will rise by completion": how to test a growth promise

A forecast cannot be enforced, so test it against history. Galt & Taggart's new turnkey prices in Batumi went from USD 1,618 per m² (second quarter of 2024) to USD 1,784 and then USD 1,960 (second quarter of 2026), about 10% a year by our arithmetic, while resale flats stood at USD 1,497, roughly 24% lower. The report warns that this gap, the pipeline and a falling yield limit further growth; Galt & Taggart's 2026 outlook (Investor.ge, 20 April 2026) expected 4-6% a year. In Tbilisi, Geostat's price index in real terms rose 12.3% in 2023 and 9.1% in 2024, then fell 1.3% in 2025.

A promised 30% over a two-year build needs about 14% a year (our arithmetic), measured on the developer's own list price; at resale you compete with its unsold stock and cheaper secondary flats. See how pre-sale prices work and follow our price index.

Experience, awards and "partner bank": who is behind the project?

"Twenty years on the market" usually describes a brand, while the seller is often a new company formed for one project. The free business register of the National Agency of Public Registry shows a company's registration date, director, partners and any liquidation entry. If the brand is old and the seller in your draft contract is months old, the track record is not your counterparty's. Untrue data about the advertiser or its awards is unreliable advertising under Article 3(4) of the Law on Advertising.

"Partner bank" may mean the bank finances the construction, has approved the project for buyers' mortgages, or simply accepts applications. One bank's partner-developer page, read on 3 November 2026, promises "a simplified income verification process and special terms" but does not say the bank checked the developer. Ask the bank directly, and read the plot's registry extract: if a bank holds a mortgage on the land, the contract must say how your unit is released from it.

Brand names, "European technology" and translated brochures

A brand printed in the brochure but missing from the contract binds nobody. Untrue data on place of manufacture, conformity with standards or certificate marks is unreliable advertising (Law on Advertising, Article 3(4)), but your real protection is a specification annex naming brand, model and class; see the building specification and lifts and fire safety pages.

Foreign-language brochures are often machine-translated: a Batumi page updated on 5 January 2026 called its structure "Monolith Carcassian technology". Rely on the Georgian contract and annex, read through a certified translation. Whether the Georgian-language rule for adverts reaches an English-only brochure is not confirmed; ask a lawyer if it matters.

Sea view, "first line" and minutes to the beach

No law defines "first line" (see our first line entry), and we found no rule protecting a view once bought; an agreement with the neighbouring owner is a question for a lawyer. Test the land between the window and the sea: on the registry's map portal, check who owns the plots in front and whether they are built on or permitted. Our first versus second line comparison shows the price effect. Travel times are unregulated: the 2024 listing put its complex 15 minutes from Batumi in one sentence and a 20-minute drive in another. Time the route yourself, at your own travel hour.

Deadlines, 0% instalments, residence and the currency of the price

Scarcity. Falsely claiming that terms last only a very short time, to force a quick decision, is always unfair under consumer law Article 25(1), if that law applies, and in its 2025 report the Agency set out that a discount or special-offer advert must reflect a real opportunity. A news-site article marked "(AD)" on 13 February 2026 called an offer "available until the end of February only"; paid articles are lawful when readers can recognise them. In Galt & Taggart's Batumi survey (second quarter of 2026), projects due in 2026 were 74% sold, those due in 2029 only 55%.

Instalments. Developer plans are not regulated like bank loans, and a former National Bank vice-governor said in October 2026 that they carry no duty to show an effective rate; another "(AD)" article, of 23 December 2025, offered a flat "with no down payment". The gap between the cash price and the instalment total is the interest; our instalment calculator works it out.

Residence. The property routes need a value of more than USD 150,000 or the USD 300,000 investment route, judged on the valuation, not the asking price (see the temporary residence permit).

Currency. Businesses must advertise prices in lari only (Organic Law on the National Bank, Article 34(2-1)). Under Administrative Offences Code Article 153-7 the Revenue Service warns the offeror or advertiser, then fines GEL 1,000, then GEL 5,000 for each further repeat. A dollar contract price is still possible; see paying in dollars or lari.

What can you do about a false claim, and what evidence will you need?

The Competition and Consumer Protection Agency investigates breaches that affect a group of consumers, not one buyer's dispute. Complain within 2 years; it replies within 10 working days, investigates and publishes a decision ordering the trader to stop and put things right. Only a trader that ignores that decision faces a fine of up to 2% of the previous year's turnover (Consumer Rights Law, Article 34). In 2025 it confirmed 183 violations in 288 cases; we found no decision on a developer or property advert from 2022 to 2026, and no source measures how common misleading claims are.

In court, a person harmed by improper (including unreliable) advertising can claim damages and a public correction (Law on Advertising, Article 21(3)); a deal induced by deception can be declared invalid (Civil Code Article 81); and a flat is free of defects when it has the agreed quality (Article 488), which is why a promise in the contract outweighs one in a brochure. See property disputes. The advertiser need keep its adverts for only 2 months after the last distribution, or longer if disputed (Article 15), so keep your own:

1. Save the brochure and price list with the date and sender.
2. Capture each web page with its address and date visible.
3. Keep sales messages and emails.
4. Send every checkable claim to the developer as a numbered question.
5. Put each answer you rely on into the contract or annex.

Risks and exceptions

• A contract silent on the brochure. Unwritten promises are hard to enforce.
• Buying for a fixed income. It ends with its term.
• Counting on consumer law. Its reach to flats and landlords is unconfirmed.
• Losing the evidence. Adverts must be kept for only 2 months.

Frequently asked questions

Is exaggeration in a property advert illegal in Georgia?

No. Under consumer law Article 24(3), exaggeration, or a claim not meant literally, is not unfair; false checkable facts are another matter.

Is a developer fined 2% of turnover for a misleading advert?

Not for the advert. The fine applies only if the trader ignores the Agency's decision.

Is a promised rental return binding?

Only as far as a signed contract says, and as far as the company that signed can pay.

Related: construction delays, complex amenities and developer contract clauses.

Sources

1. Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights, Parliament of Georgia, 29 March 2022, text of 15 December 2023 (accessed 3 November 2026)
2. Law on Advertising, Parliament of Georgia, 18 February 1998, amended to 25 June 2026 (accessed 3 November 2026)
3. Administrative Offences Code, Article 153-7 (added on 29 December 2016) and Article 219, consolidated text of 13 October 2026 (accessed 3 November 2026)
4. Resolution No 315 on internal measurement drawings, Government of Georgia, 3 October 2024 (accessed 3 November 2026)
5. Civil Code of Georgia, Parliament of Georgia, 26 June 1997 (accessed 3 November 2026)
6. Seismic norm PN 01.01-09, Minister of Economic Development, 7 October 2009 (accessed 3 November 2026)
7. Annual Report 2025 (April 2026) and guide on environmental claims (undated), Competition and Consumer Protection Agency (accessed 3 November 2026)
8. Batumi Residential Real Estate, 2Q26, Galt & Taggart, 14 August 2026, and Tbilisi Residential Real Estate - August 2026, 23 October 2026 (accessed 2 November 2026)
9. Residential property price index, 2nd quarter 2026, Geostat, 23 July 2026 (accessed 19 October 2026)
10. Sector snapshot: Batumi residential real estate, Investor.ge, 20 April 2026, summarising Galt & Taggart's 2025 review and 2026 outlook (accessed 3 November 2026)
11. Apartment with the developer, Liberty Bank (accessed 3 November 2026)
12. Claim examples: villa project page, geoln.com, 4 May 2022; realting.com listings updated 6 August 2024, 20 February 2026 and 5 January 2026; Interpressnews sponsored articles of 13 February 2026 and 23 December 2025 (accessed 2-3 November 2026)

Change log

• 3 November 2026 - Checklist published from the consumer and advertising laws, the Agency's 2025 annual report and dated examples of brochure claims.