Planning permission for Bulgarian property
Many buyers of Bulgarian villas have plans to renovate their new house before or after moving in. Others buy property in Bulgaria with the intention of extending or otherwise developing their new home. Some buy only a plot of land with the intention of building a brand new Bulgarian property on it. Before any of this can be done, however, building regulations and controls need to be understood.
To build property in Bulgaria, check out the land first
In order to build a property on Bulgarian soil, the land has to have first been approved, or regulated, as building land by the local planning authority. Some areas of land are regulated as industrial or hotel or other zones, and residential Bulgarian villas cannot be built there. Other land will simply be unregulated or classed as agricultural land and Bulgarian property cannot, in theory, be built there.
However, it is possible to get the status of some agricultural land changed in order that Bulgarian property can be built on it. The process is not onerous and can usually be successfully handled by an experienced estate agent or lawyer, but it can take a few months. Bear in mind, too, that local opposition to your plan to build a Bulgarian villa or any other type of property can scupper your chances of obtaining approval.
The PUP - the permit you need to build property in BulgariaOnce the land on which you intend to build your Bulgarian property is appropriately regulated, you need to apply for a building permit. This is known as a PUP. To get this, you will need to submit architectural drawings of your Bulgarian villa together with a detailed schedule of construction, from groundworks to topping out.
For most types of property in Bulgaria, you should allow two months to obtain the PUP. When it is issued, it will set out the specific area of your plot on which you can build and the property´s maximum height. Approval from suppliers of electricity and water (and gas in some areas) will also be confirmed. You can now start to build your Bulgarian villa.
Is it easy to get planning permission for Bulgarian property?
Providing your plot of land is regulated and you have sufficient land, you will usually be granted a PUP to build, enlarge or renovate a property in Bulgaria. The aesthetics of your proposal may be taken into account if there are any listed traditional Bulgarian villas in close proximity. If you plan to extend a listed Bulgarian villa, planning permission is not so straightforward.
Planning permission for listed Bulgarian villas is tightly controlled
Beautiful traditional Bulgarian villas are in high demand and fetch high prices. If you are thinking of buying such a property in Bulgaria, bear in mind that some of it may be protected as an historical monument, in much the same way as an old building could have listed status in the UK.
Planning permits for work to listed Bulgarian villas are issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Heavy fines can be imposed on owners for allowing the extension or renovation of any historical property in Bulgaria without that organisation´s approval. In most cases, permission will be granted for building work that does not alter the external façade of historical Bulgarian property.
