What is required when you buy a house?

When you buy a home, the law requires four things: the purchase agreement is in writing, you then have a three-day cooling-off period (article 7:2 of the Civil Code), the home only becomes yours with a deed of transfer at the notary that is registered with the Kadaster (article 3:89), and the seller must have a valid energy label. A building survey, a measurement report under NEN 2580 or an asbestos survey are not required by law.

The purchase agreement and the cooling-off period

If you buy a home as a private individual, the sale must be in writing. The cooling-off period starts when you receive the signed purchase agreement or a copy of it: for three days you may dissolve the sale without giving a reason. A company that buys does not have that cooling-off period, and it does not apply to an auction at a notary.

The purchase agreement can be registered in the public registers (article 7:3). It then protects you if the seller afterwards sells the home to someone else or it is attached. During the cooling-off period this is only possible if a notary drew up or co-signed the purchase agreement.

The transfer at the notary

Ownership passes with a deed of transfer drawn up by the notary and its registration with the Kadaster. At that point you pay the purchase price, the transfer tax and the costs. Before the transfer the notary checks what burdens the home: mortgages, attachments, ground lease (erfpacht) and the restrictions a public authority has had registered.

The energy label

The seller must have a valid energy label when selling and give it to you. A label is valid for ten years. An energy adviser visits the home for it and records the insulation and the installations, among other things. Every label is in EP-online, where anyone can look up the label of an address. Since 29 May 2026 the obligation also applies to the sale of a monument. If the label is missing, the seller can be fined by the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT).

An apartment: the owners' association

If you buy an apartment, you become a member of the owners' association (vereniging van eigenaars, VvE). Together with the seller you are liable for the contributions the seller still owes for the current and the previous financial year (article 5:122). That is why the notary asks the VvE for a statement of what is outstanding before the transfer. Also ask for the minutes, the reserve fund and the maintenance plan yourself.

Ground lease

If the home stands on land held in ground lease (erfpacht), the right of ground lease passes to you with the home, with the conditions and the ground rent (canon) attached to it. You can read them in the deed and at the Kadaster.

What is not required

A building survey: not required, but the way to see defects before you sign.
A measurement report under NEN 2580: not an obligation, but the usual way to measure the floor area stated in a listing.
An asbestos survey: not required when you buy. If you want to remove asbestos yourself after buying, as a private individual you may only do so from a home or an outbuilding of a home, for at most 35 m² and only for certain materials, and often with prior notice to the municipality.
A soil survey: not required. If a public authority has taken a decision about the soil, it is registered as a restriction with the Kadaster; whatever else is known is shown by the Bodemloket.

Municipal rules

Some municipalities apply buy-to-let protection (opkoopbescherming): in designated neighbourhoods you may not let a home without a permit during the first years after buying it (Housing Act, article 41). A municipality can also have a pre-emption right, or require a permit to split a home.

What the Perceelscan does with it

Section 16, Obligations when buying, lists every rule with its source, and adds what the registers know about the plot: a monument, a decision about the soil, a pre-emption right or a split. What is not a rule, the report says too. This is what it looks like: see that section in the sample report.

What it all costs is explained in buyer’s costs.

Can I still back out after signing?

Yes, as a private individual: you have a three-day cooling-off period from the moment you receive the signed purchase agreement. After that only through a condition precedent in the agreement.

Does the seller have to have a building survey done?

No. A survey is not an obligation; if you want certainty, have one done yourself before signing or include a condition in the purchase agreement.

What if the seller has no energy label?

Then the seller can be fined. You can look up the label of an address yourself in EP-online.

Is a measurement report under NEN 2580 required?

No. It is the usual way to measure the floor area in a listing, not an obligation.

Sources

Check it for your address

Updated on 26 October 2026