6. Preparing for Completion When Selling Property in Portugal

The Final Technical Stage Before Ownership Transfer

After signing the CPCV, the process moves into the preparation phase leading up to completion.

During this stage, all legal and administrative validations are finalised to ensure the property can be transferred to the buyer free of charges or liabilities.

Although less visible, this is often the phase where delays occur — especially when earlier preparation was incomplete.

The objective is to guarantee a clean and legally secure transfer of ownership.

What Happens at This Stage

This phase focuses on finalising all requirements necessary to complete the sale.

It typically includes:

• settling any existing mortgage linked to the property (if applicable);

• obtaining the mortgage discharge (Distrate);

• issuing the condominium charges statement;

• complying with legal pre-emption rights;

• final validation of all property documentation;

• coordination between buyer’s bank, seller, and legal certifying entity;

• scheduling the completion date.

All elements must be fully validated before completion takes place.

Why This Matters

Even with a signed CPCV, completion can still be delayed if issues remain unresolved, such as:

• mortgages still registered against the property;

• outstanding condominium charges;

• entities holding legal pre-emption rights not properly notified;

• expired or incomplete documentation.

At this stage, any irregularity can prevent completion from taking place.

Early preparation avoids postponements and unnecessary additional costs.

Clara and Rui’s Story

During the period between signing the CPCV and completion, Clara and Rui discovered that their existing mortgage would need to be settled on the day of sale.

With TeamQASA’s support, the mortgage discharge was requested from the bank well in advance, and an updated condominium declaration was obtained.

Legal pre-emption procedures were also completed within statutory deadlines.

When completion day arrived, all parties were aligned — allowing the transaction to conclude without delays.

Documents & Definitions

Mortgage Discharge (Distrate Bancário)
Document issued by the bank confirming cancellation of the mortgage once the outstanding loan has been settled.

Condominium Charges Statement (Declaração de Encargos do Condomínio)
Mandatory document confirming the absence of debts and identifying approved future building expenses.

Pre-emption Rights (Direito de Preferência)
Legal priority granted to certain entities or individuals to purchase the property under the same agreed terms as the buyer.

Final Document Validation
Confirmation that all documents required for ownership transfer remain valid and updated prior to completion.

Common Mistakes

• requesting mortgage discharge too late;

• overlooking legal deadlines related to pre-emption rights;

• assuming banks automatically manage all procedures;

• failing to obtain updated condominium documentation;

• scheduling completion before full validation is complete.

Did You Know?

Many property completions are postponed just days before the scheduled date due to a single missing mandatory document.

In most cases, the issue could have been resolved weeks earlier with proper preparation.