Redevelopment: How to Legalise It and Why It Matters When Selling
A removed wall or a balcony joined to the room makes an apartment more comfortable, but if the changes are not formalised, they become a problem when you sell. Here is which works need a permit and how to put the documents in order.
Contents
Why it matters
The Cadastre records the area and characteristics of every apartment, and the technical passport holds its floor plan. If the real apartment differs from them, the buyer, the buyer's notary and the bank will notice. With a mortgage, the bank may refuse to lend, the buyer may demand a discount, and a cautious buyer will simply walk away.
There is also a safety issue. Yerevan lies in a seismic zone, and the load-bearing walls of an apartment block hold up more than your own apartment. Interfering with them without a design is dangerous for all the neighbours. So when buying, look not only at the documents but also at which walls in the apartment have been removed.
Which changes need a permit
The procedure for issuing construction and reconstruction permits is set by Government Decision No. 596-N of 19 March 2015. The general rule is this: interior works that do not touch load-bearing structures or the building's common property and do not reduce its reliability can in some cases be done without a permit. Anything involving load-bearing walls, the facade or the common parts of the building requires a design and a permit.
| Work | What you need |
|---|---|
| Painting, replacing floors, doors or plumbing in the same places | Usually no permit |
| Moving a light non-load-bearing partition | Check with the municipality: depends on the building category |
| An opening in or removal of a load-bearing wall | Design and permit |
| Joining a balcony or loggia to a room, changing the facade | Design and permit |
| Merging two apartments, taking over part of a shared corridor | Design, permit and, as a rule, consent of the owners of the common property |
| Converting an apartment to non-residential use | A separate procedure at the municipality |
How to legalise it, step by step
- Commission an inspection and a design from an organisation licensed to do design work: it will assess what has been done and whether it is safe.
- Apply to the municipality. Since 1 January 2025, construction permit applications across Armenia are accepted only electronically through urban.e-gov.am; in Yerevan you can get advice through the city hall's One Window service.
- Obtain the permit or the municipality's decision and, if necessary, complete the works according to the design.
- Formalise the completion of works with an act confirming that everything was done according to the design.
- Order a new measurement of the apartment and register the changes with the Cadastre. After that, the new area and characteristics will appear in the extract.
Timelines and costs depend on the scope of works and the building category. For comparison, converting an apartment from residential to non-residential use in Yerevan takes 30 working days according to the city hall website. Legalising work already done usually takes longer than getting approval before renovating.
If you are selling
- Compare the floor plan in the documents with the real apartment before you publish a listing.
- If there are differences, start the paperwork early: the process can take months.
- Don't hide the redevelopment: the buyer will see it at the viewing and the bank at the valuation.
- If you can't finish the paperwork in time, say so honestly in the listing and reflect it in the price.
If you are buying
- Compare the area in the unified Cadastre extract with the real apartment.
- Ask which walls were removed and whether there are documents for it.
- If the redevelopment is not formalised, agree who will legalise it and by when, and put it in the preliminary contract.
- If you are buying with a mortgage, ask the bank in advance whether it will accept an apartment with unformalised changes.
Key points
- Unformalised redevelopment gets in the way of a sale and a mortgage and can be dangerous.
- Works involving load-bearing walls, the facade or common property need a design and a permit.
- Permit applications are filed online through urban.e-gov.am.
- The final step is a new measurement and registering the changes with the Cadastre.
- For a seller it pays to formalise everything before publishing the listing.
