Buyer’s guide
Buying in Algeria, from the first viewing to the deed
Eight steps, the papers to gather, what a purchase costs on top of the price and what each title deed is worth. A general guide, to complete with your notary.
01The steps
Eight steps, two to four months
Define the project
Neighbourhood, area, number of rooms and above all the full budget: price, notary and agency fees, any works.
Check your financing
Simulate your loan or Islamic financing, measure your deposit and debt ratio. A pre-approval strengthens an offer.
View
Plan in hand, look at the stairwell, the lift, the joinery, the orientation and the neighbours. Come back a second time, at another hour.
Check the title
A copy of the deed or land book, the seller’s identity, the statement of entries. Nothing is signed before this check.
Make an offer
A written offer stating how you will pay. It may be accepted, refused or met with a counter-offer.
Sign the preliminary contract
Before the notary, seller and buyer commit; a deposit is paid and the conditions — getting the loan, in particular — are written in.
Secure the financing
The bank reviews the papers and, for an older property, has it surveyed. The final offer arrives within a few weeks.
Sign the deed and get the keys
The notary reads the deed, the funds are paid, the deed is registered then published at the land registry. The keys are handed over.
02Documents
What to gather
The buyer
- A valid identity document
- A birth certificate extract
- For financing: an employment certificate, payslips, bank statements
- Where needed, the absent buyer’s power of attorney
The seller
- The title (published deed or land book)
- An identity document
- The building’s co-ownership rules and certificates
- Recent tax certificates for the property
An indicative list; your notary will give you the exact one. In the demonstration, papers are specimens chosen from a list.
03Costs
What a purchase costs on top of the price
Enter a price to see the indicative costs added to it, at the rates the agency’s management has set.
| Agency fee (2 %)paid by the buyer | DZD 500,000 |
|---|---|
| Notary and registration (4 %)duties, fees and publication, order of magnitude | DZD 1,000,000 |
| Indicative total cost | DZD 26,500,000 |
Updating the agency’s rates…
04Title deeds
What each title is worth
The title status is on every listing and is a search filter. Here is what it means for you.
Notarial deed
Full titleThe standard title deed, drawn up by a notary.
What it is
The notary draws up the deed of sale, registers it and has it published at the land registry. Once published it proves ownership and can secure a mortgage.
What to check
Ask for a copy of the deed and check that it was published, that the seller is the person named in it, and that no mortgage is registered.
Land book (livret foncier)
Full titleThe title from the land survey: the property’s identity card.
What it is
Issued by the land registry where the cadastre has been drawn up, it describes the property, its boundaries and its owner. It is the safest title; the sale is signed before a notary and recorded in the book.
What to check
Compare the book’s area and boundaries with the property you visited, and ask for a statement of entries (mortgages, seizures).
Administrative deed
To checkA title issued by a public body that sold the property.
What it is
When a public body sells a dwelling or a plot, the sale is recorded in an administrative deed. Published at the land registry, it is a title of ownership.
What to check
Check that the deed was published and, for a property sold with conditions, that the period during which resale was forbidden has ended.
Waiver of rights (désistement)
CautionA transfer of rights, not yet ownership.
What it is
The seller gives up, in your favour, the rights they hold on a dwelling for which they do not yet have the final title. You acquire rights, not the property: regularising it depends on the body that allocated it.
What to check
No bank will finance a waiver as it stands. Have a notary check that the transfer is possible and what it takes to obtain the final deed.
Allocation decision
CautionA dwelling allocated, before the title deed.
What it is
A public body allocates a dwelling to a beneficiary, who becomes its owner once the payments are complete and the deed is signed. Until then the property cannot be sold as such.
What to check
Ask where the payments stand and what conditions the body sets on a transfer; it is often the final deed that you need to wait for.
General, indicative explanations; they do not replace a notary’s advice.
06From abroad
Buying without being there
Video viewings
Slots early in the morning or late in the day for Europe and North America, and a 360° tour to replay at leisure.
Power of attorney
Signed before a notary in Algeria or at your consulate; it names the property and the acts allowed precisely.
Consular steps
The consulate certifies signatures and issues some civil-status documents; ask about lead times before setting the signing date.
Following from afar
The client space for an off-plan build, property management for a home to let: everything is followed online.
General pointers; the exact steps depend on your country of residence and your consulate.