Selling a flat or a house? Documents that the notary - and the buyer - will ask for

Two questions that will definitely be asked

When selling real estate, there are two topics that always come back - regardless of whether you are selling a studio flat in a block of flats or a house outside the city. The first will be asked by the notary: "is there an energy performance certificate?". The second will be asked by the buyer (or their surveyor or bank): "what condition is the electrical installation in?". It is worth having a written answer to both before you publish the listing.

Certificate: without it, you will not sign the deed

Since 28 April 2023, a certificate is mandatory for every sale - the buyer must receive it at the notary deed, and the notary records the transfer of the document. Failure to comply with this obligation may result in a fine, in practice up to 5,000 zł. The year 2026 brought further requirements:

• energy class in the listing - the sales offer must show the class (A+-G) and the EP indicator, like an energy label on household appliances;
• new certificate template - documents issued from 29 May 2026 have a clear, graphical class; older ones remain valid, but in the listing they look pale compared to offers with a class;
• historic buildings without exemption - buildings under conservation protection also need a certificate upon sale.

The certificate is prepared by an authorised person, and the document gets a number in the central register (CRCEB) - without this number, it is just a piece of paper. You can read more about the document itself and the classes in a separate guide about the energy certificate.

Electrical installation: this is where negotiations are decided

The certificate is mandatory - but it is the condition of the installation that can actually move the price. "Old installation, probably aluminium, everything will need to be replaced" is one of the most common arguments to beat down the price by several thousand. It works because usually no one has proof that it is otherwise.

Such proof is the inspection and measurement report: insulation resistance, protection against electric shock, residual current device test - with results and evaluation. If the installation is fully functional, the report cuts off the topic. If something needs improvement, you find out before the transaction - and you decide yourself whether to repair it or include it in the price, instead of negotiating blindly. What exactly an electrician measures is described in our post about measurements and the report.

When selling a house, a second aspect comes into play: a single-family house is subject to periodic inspections under Art. 62 of the Prawo budowlanego (Polish Building Law) - testing the electrical installation at least once every 5 years is the owner's duty. More and more often, both the buyer and the bank financing the purchase ask about this. The easiest way to catch up on an overdue inspection is on the occasion of the certificate.

In what order to do it

1. before publishing the listing - order the certificate (class and EP must be in the listing) and the inspection with measurements (argument for the asking price);
2. one technician visit - measurements and gathering data about the premises can be done in one go, usually in 2-3 hours;
3. documents to e-mail - the certificate with the CRCEB number and the measurement report are kept in one folder with the rest of the transaction papers;
4. at the notary - you hand over the certificate, the notary records it, topic closed.

How much does it cost

Ordered separately: a certificate for a flat from 399 zł, an inspection with measurements and a report from approx. 491 zł - total approx. 890 zł and two dates to keep track of. In the "inspection + certificate" package, we provide both services during a single visit, and the certificate then costs 308 zł instead of 399 zł - package from 799 zł gross. You see the price in the booking, before confirming the date.