Buying a property or a used car is a big hit on the family budget. A man is often not sure what the state of his purchase is. Therefore, it is not a matter of verifying the state of the flat or the car or of the vendor himself.
How to Check Who You Are Buying a Car or Flat From
In the case of real estate purchases, this is usually in millions and, in the case of rent or lease, the highest financial item in the budget. “Any problem would be crucial for most people, and maybe even destroying, despite the fact that problems of this type are sometimes long-lasting and there is a high probability that there will be a large number of legal services,” says Marek Fiala from OvěřujPrověřuj.
According to experts, it is not uncommon for a man to rent a flat that does not belong to him when he only wants to get a deposit from the people interested. For the sake of peace, the applicant should find out who is the real owner of the real estate or, for example, whether the real estate is not burdened with execution.
Real Estate Can Be Checked in the Land Register
Verification of a person, as well as a business, is available in publicly available sources, such as central filing records or the insolvency register. It is also possible to determine the debt at health insurance companies if the police do not seek a person or if the address of the verified person’s residence is not identical with the address of the office.
“Generally, you can find out whether there’s something wrong with the counterparty, just by asking if they do not mind you are checking them out,” Fiala says.
For companies, you can draw from the same sources, sometimes checking the account number or the VAT ID if it is a trouble-free VAT payer. You might even want to see the extract from the trade register or a complete listing of information about the company. Part of the scrutiny process should also be to review the contract of the law firm or even create a contract.
Regarding the purchase of the real estate, according to Lukáš Zelený from dTest, it is necessary to check the data in the real estate office. “It can be viewed online. However, we would like to assure you that we will obtain a full-fledged extract from the Land Registry, which can be obtained either from the relevant office or through remote access, which allows us to obtain an extract electronically,” said Pravu Zelený.
Viewing the cadastre is free of charge. Cadastre data also helps to avoid errors in identifying the real estate in the sales contract, which will ensure a smooth deposit of ownership right into the land register after the purchase contract.
The Secondhand Vehicle Must Be Properly Checked
In the case of a car purchase, such a view is not possible, according to Zelený. “It is necessary to engage in the rigorous inspection of all the documentation – small and large technical license, green card and possibly also service books. Certainly, it is not to the detriment of VIN code verification,” said Zelený.
Regarding the technical state of the vehicle, experts recommend that people who do not have an automotive industry experienced technician should contact an authorized service centre for that brand for a complete check-up.
However, looking for a car on some advertising portals may hide many unpleasant surprises. “First of all is a supply of so-called non-existent cars, which only aims to make you interested in your initial contact with the dealer. Some sellers also often do not tell the full truth about the offered vehicle,” said Roman Červ of Autotým, which advises buyers.
Experts recommend that you especially insist on inspecting the vehicle on a workshop jack and by means of self-diagnostics. Modern cars are equipped with a number of controllers that collect all vehicle data and also have a “fault memory” from which many problems can be read that the technician cannot recognize. Of course, there is also a trail ride.
As with the purchase of the real estate, it is necessary to pay attention to the text of the purchase contract. “The seller should give the buyer sufficient time to learn about the content. If he insists, however, or there are some problematic points in the contract, it is a signal that the buyer should think the whole thing through and possibly withdraw from the purchase,” added Zeleny.
Where to Look
Business Registry
Here, you can read basic company identification information such as an address, identification number or legal form. In addition, you can find information about who can act for the company and what the ownership structure is. The index also contains a collection of documents that allows you to inspect the company’s annual reports and possibly also its founding documents.
Trade Register
If the entrepreneur is a natural person, he/she should have a business license and be listed in the Trades Licensing Register. Here, as in the Commercial Register, you can search for an entity’s basic identification data.
Insolvency Register
Information on insolvency proceedings is mandatory. It is possible to determine whether the seller is not in bankruptcy or at what stage are the insolvency proceedings. This is important, for example, because the entity in bankruptcy can only dispose of its property in a limited way, and the sale itself may later be problematic.
Cadastre
This can be viewed through applying to the Czech Office of Surveying and Cadastre at http://nahlizenidokn.cuzk.cz/. In the land register, it is possible to verify whether the person arranging the sale is actually the owner or whether the rights of other persons, such as the bank’s mortgage right, will be imposed on the property.
Central Records of Executions
This allows you to find information about specific enforcement proceedings, whether a particular person is guilty of execution, that the executor was charged with executing, what the enforced obligation is when the executor was charged with the execution, whether it was legally postponed or stopped, etc.
