Registration, management after handover, legal support in your language, an all-inclusive price, and who answers when things go wrong.
Out loud, everyone answers nicely. In writing, only those built right. A written answer is a commitment, not a promise.
In Romania, ownership exists only once it is in the land register. A developer whose registration "gets sorted later" is selling you an idea.
VAT, notary, registration and "utility connections" can add 8%-10%. Ask for a turnkey cost table as an annex to the contract.
A management contract with response times, a named contact and a committed reply time. "There's a call centre" is not an answer.
Questions to ask a property developer: what happens in the first meeting
In a first meeting with investors I almost always see the same thing. They ask about the renderings, the view, the timeline. They ask politely, and they get nice answers.
And the questions that really matter go unasked. Sometimes out of politeness, sometimes because they do not know what to ask.
The difference between a successful investment and a sad story is almost always the questions you asked before signing.
So here are five questions to ask a property developer, the ones weak developers avoid. For each: why it scares them, what a good answer looks like, the red flag, and how to verify it yourself.
The iron rule: every answer in writing
Before the questions, one rule that turns the list into a working tool.
Out loud, everyone answers nicely. In writing, only those who are built right.
A spoken answer is a promise. A written answer is a commitment. The gap between the two is exactly the gap the Nordis scandal was built on, which we wrote about in our article on the apartment that was sold twice.
Question 1: In whose name is the property registered, and exactly when?
Why it scares weak developers: in Romania, ownership exists only if it is entered in the land register (Cartea Funciară). A developer for whom registration "gets sorted out later" is selling you an idea, not a property.
Buyers from outside the EU, Israelis included, face an extra layer. Under Romanian law, land is registered directly only in the name of a Romanian or EU citizen. There are several accepted routes, the most common being the right of superficies (Superficie): full ownership of the building and exclusive use of the land. We covered them in our article on registering the property and the land in your name.
- Good answer: "The property is registered in your name at the final contract before a notary, on a set date. Here is a sample extract from a previous buyer."
- Red flag: "It's a formality, don't worry", a spoken-only answer, or registration in the name of "the project company" with no timeline.
- How to verify: a current land register extract, checked by a local lawyer who is independent of the seller.
Question 2: Who manages the property the day after handover?
Why it scares them: the big risk in investing from a distance is not always the market. It is management. A developer who sells and disappears leaves you alone with a tenant, a contractor and repairs, thousands of kilometres from home.
- Good answer: an identified entity, with a name, an address and people. At its best: the developer itself stays on to manage, because then its interest is the same as yours.
- Red flag: "There will be a management company" (future, anonymous), or "Just find a local manager, it's easy".
- How to verify: a management contract with a written SLA: response times, a procedure for a tenant who does not pay, financial reporting and a named contact.
What happens at night when something breaks? We answered that in our article on property management.
Question 3: Is there legal support in your language, or are you alone with a contract in Romanian?
Why it scares them: a contract you do not understand is a contract you cannot enforce. "There's an interpreter at the meeting" is not legal support.
- Good answer: answers to legal questions in a language you understand, from the checks through to registration, and key documents in translation. Alongside that, a clear recommendation to hire your own lawyer.
- Red flag: "It's a standard contract, nothing to check."
- How to verify: ask to see a key document translated into English before you commit.
Question 4: Does the price really include everything?
Why it scares them: an "attractive price" that swells by 8%–10% after signing is a familiar sales tactic. VAT, notary, registration, "utility connections": costs that appear just before signing.
The difference between a successful investment and a sad story is almost always the questions you asked before signing.
- Good answer: a written specification of what is included, VAT, legal fees, notary and registration, and what is not.
- Red flag: "We'll sort out the details later."
- How to verify: a written "turnkey" cost table, with a "not included" column, as an annex to the contract. Not in a casual email. In an annex.
And if you also want to check whether the price itself is fair, we have a full guide to the "foreign buyer premium".
Question 5: If something goes wrong, who do you talk to, and in which language?
Why it scares them: this is the real test of the whole service setup. No answer means no system.
- Good answer: the name and phone number of a person, in your language, with a committed response time.
- Red flag: "There's a call centre", or "Just send an email".
- How to verify: the contact person and the response time are written into the management agreement, not just said in the meeting.
From the field: 20 minutes on WhatsApp versus three days by email
Attorney Ilan Leibovitch recalls:
A client, a software engineer from Tel Aviv, was torn between two apartments in Pipera at almost the same price: one from a large, publicly traded construction company with 15 projects across Romania, the other from an Israeli developer building a 12-unit boutique project in the same neighbourhood.
At the large company he dealt with a sales agent who sent a 40-page presentation. To specific questions, when construction would start and who the main contractor was, the agent said he would check with head office, and sometimes the answer took three days. The small developer answered on WhatsApp within 20 minutes, in Hebrew, and sent the engineer’s plan for the heating system and the original permit documents from the city hall, with a translation.
The client worried the developer was too small. We checked together: 18 years in business, 7 projects all delivered on time, and the money held in escrow. He signed with the small developer. Fourteen months later he receives a monthly report with photos from the site, and when there was a two-week delay because of the weather, the developer called him personally.
Company size does not answer the fifth question. What answers it is who picks up the phone, in what language and how fast, and you can test that before you sign.
The five questions for developers at a glance
| Question | Good answer | Red flag | How to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Registration | In your name, before a notary, on a set date | "It's a formality" | Land register extract and an independent lawyer |
| 2. Management | An identified entity, ideally the developer | "There will be a management company" | Management contract with an SLA |
| 3. Legal support | Answers in your language, translated documents | "It's a standard contract" | A key document in translation |
| 4. Price | What is and is not included | "We'll sort it out later" | Cost table as an annex |
| 5. Service | Name, phone, response time | "There's a call centre" | Clause in the management agreement |
The rule of thumb
A serious developer answers all five in writing, in full, without dodging. Dodging any one of them is your red flag, no matter how beautiful the renderings are.
In our project in Balotești you get the answers to all five questions in writing, because a developer who is built right is not afraid of questions. Our team works in Hebrew, English and Romanian. And if you are buying off-plan, add the Nordis law checklist to these five.
A small tip: keep the list on your phone and go through it before every meeting with a developer. In any country. The questions are universal; only the order of the red flags changes.
Frequently asked questions
I feel uncomfortable interrogating like this. Won't it spoil the atmosphere?
Quite the opposite, and that is a test in itself. A serious developer smiles when hearing these questions, because finally someone is checking the things they are genuinely strong at. A developer who takes offence or replies "why are you so suspicious?" has answered all five at once.
I got excellent answers, but only verbally. Is that enough?
No. Ask for the same answers by email or as an annex to the contract. A developer who answered beautifully in the meeting but struggles to put it in writing has answered you a second time.
What if I have already signed without asking?
Not all is lost. A management agreement with an SLA can be signed after the purchase too, and a land register extract can be pulled at any stage to see what is actually registered. Take the list to an independent lawyer and ask for a status review.
The developer offers its own lawyer. Is that enough?
Legal answers from the developer's side are a good service, but they are not a substitute. A lawyer you hire yourself, independent of the seller, is the only one who represents only you.
Do these questions apply only to Romania?
No. The five questions fit any developer, in any country. What changes between countries is mainly the registration route, so Question 1 is always worth checking with a local lawyer.
The bottom line
These questions are not meant to embarrass anyone. They are meant to spare you the sad story.
If you are at the start of the road with a developer in Romania, ours or anyone else, book a 30-minute call with me. Ask me the five questions, and ask for the answers in writing.
Moti Azulay, Compass Group Romania
Sources and data: National Agency for Cadastre and Land Registration (ANCPI) · Romanian Ministry of Justice legislation portal · National Union of Notaries Public of Romania (UNNPR) · Romanian National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) · Law 207/2025, Monitorul Oficial 1133, 8 December 2025.
This article is for general information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Before any transaction, consult an independent local lawyer.
Now you know more.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult local professionals before any transaction.
