Are you buying a property in Bulgaria and don’t know what Act 14, 15, 16 means?
Are you thinking of buying a property in Bulgaria and in real estate listings you find the phrase Act 14, Act 15, or Act 16 next to the advertisements?
In our conditions you will not come across this marking, but in Bulgaria the different steps of the completion of the construction according to the Building Act are marked with this phrase.
The word Act, often you can also find the designation Act, Deed or Protocol. The individual designations by number already indicate at what stage the construction or building is.
Every construction or new building goes through various stages of completion up to the state of approval and final handover to the developer or directly to the new owners.
The issuance of separate acts during the construction process is described in the Bulgarian Planning Act. The requirements vary depending on the category of the site. Modern residential buildings usually fall into the so-called fourth and fifth category of sites and more rarely into the third category when the building is larger.
Acts 14, 15 and 16 aim to control the different stages of the construction process and to check that the different types of construction and installation work are carried out in accordance with the applicable normative processes or acts.
Act 14
This is the first step in the inspection of construction work, as it is the document for acceptance of the construction of a building. Simply put – Act 14 can be defined as a document issued when a building reaches the stage of rough construction.
Act 15
The previous issued protocol is followed by the next stage where the condition of the building and its readiness for occupation is assessed. Act 15 simply confirms that the building is fully completed. This protocol is a declaration that the building has been constructed in accordance with the approved design and construction requirements. An inventory is also taken of those works that remain incomplete or have not been well completed and which need to be corrected by applying for a Housing Certificate the next step and that is Act 16. Act 15 forms the basis for the development of the Protocol for Act 16.
Act 16
This Housing Certificate/Commissioning Certificate is the final act for the construction of the building and confirms that the building is fit for habitation.
Act 16 or Certificate of Occupancy cannot be issued if there is any discrepancy between the actual construction work carried out and the approved design. For Category IV-VI buildings (residential and mixed residential buildings, villas, etc.), there is no Act 16, but a Certificate of Approval from the competent Chief Architect of the respective municipality.
Word in conclusion
Missing deeds issued for different phases of construction indicate that the building in question has not completed the process with proper documentation and suggests that something is amiss.
Information on whether a building has a Certificate of Occupancy/Commissioning Certificate can be obtained from the regional directorate of national and building control or from the local municipality.
The estate agent must give you this information when you buy the property. It is important as a future owner to know whether the property you are buying has all the documentation in order. We recommend buying only with an Act 16 deed. Especially when buying new projects, you need to look at the final completed buildings with Act 16, or check the reasons why the building has not yet been issued with this Act. For new constructions, it is recommended to go for the projects of proven developers who already have a few of their constructions in their portfolio and know their quality.
On our website www.relaxproperties.sk you will find a range of properties with only Act 16 issued.
