Registration of title (lainhuuto)

Registration of title (lainhuuto) is the registration of a property’s new owner in the National Land Survey’s title and mortgage register. It must be applied for within 6 months of signing the deed of sale. If the application is late, the transfer tax (varainsiirtovero) rises by 20 % for each started half-year, up to double at most. This is one of the buyer’s few hard deadlines, so mark the date right after the purchase.

Check two things: whether you are buying a property (a detached house, a plot) or a housing-company apartment (an apartment in a block or terraced house), because the time and place are different. For a property, you apply for registration of title from the National Land Survey within 6 months. For a housing-company apartment, the corresponding ownership entry is made in the housing information system (ASREK) within 2 months, so it is more urgent.

Registration of title and the transfer tax go hand in hand: the tax must usually be paid before applying for registration of title, and the payment receipt is attached to the application. If you use a bank or a real-estate agent to carry out the deal, they often handle the registration of title and the tax for you. Even so, make sure yourself that the application is made within the deadline, because the responsibility for the increase lies with the buyer.