Housing

Steps

1. Search through agencies, listing sites and social media groups. Expect HUF 170,000 to 220,000 per month excluding utilities for a 50-70 m², depending on the region (EURES).
2. Sign a written lease (bérleti szerződés): without writing, it is not valid (housing law, art. 2). Note the term, the rent, the deposit, who pays what, and the termination rules.
3. Check the running costs and the meters: common charges (közös költség: cleaning, waste, maintenance), separate meters or a flat rate in older buildings; have the readings noted at the start (EURES).
4. To buy: have the property sheet (tulajdoni lap) checked at the land register, then the sale contract. To be entered in the land register, it must be a notarial deed or a private deed countersigned (ellenjegyzés) by a lawyer or a legal professional registered with a Hungarian bar, and the registration application must go through a legal representative (lawyer or legal professional registered with a Hungarian bar, or notary) (Act C of 2021 on the land register, art. 35 and 42). The NAV then calculates the transfer duty and sends you the payment notice.
5. If you resell your former home, report it: the duty is calculated on the difference in value if you sold another home within the 5 years before the purchase or if you sell it within the following year.
6. After the purchase, ask your municipality about the local building tax (factsheet HU-IMPOTS-TOUS-002).

Documents

• Identity document; often the residence registration certificate and proof of income.
• For a purchase: countersigned sale contract, property sheet, Hungarian tax number (factsheet HU-NIF-TOUS-001).

Costs and timelines

• 2026 transfer duty: 4% of the market value not reduced by encumbrances, up to HUF 1 billion per property, 2% above, capped at HUF 200 million per property (Act on duties, art. 19).
• Reduction: base equal to the difference between the home bought and the home sold (sale within the 5 years before or the year after the purchase, art. 21).
• Prices (EURES): new-build home at HUF 61.2 million on average in early 2025; resale at HUF 28.1 million on average in the 3rd quarter of 2024 (HUF 46.8 million in Budapest).
• Land register (scale displayed by the government offices, noted on 20/10/2026; to be reconfirmed): entry in the register (general first-instance procedure) HUF 10,600 per property; entry of a mortgage HUF 20,000 per property; accelerated procedure at your request HUF 16,000 per property; certified copy of the property sheet HUF 10,000 on paper, HUF 4,800 in electronic form.
• Lawyer's and agency fees: free, set by contract with each; ask for a written quote before committing.

Common pitfalls

• An oral agreement: an unwritten lease is not valid; insist on a signed contract.
• The sale of the home during your tenancy: EURES advises being prepared for a change of landlord that may force you to find another home quickly; include a clause on this point.
• Unpaid rent: the landlord gives you written notice; without payment within 8 days, they may terminate in writing within the following 8 days (rule written for homes in the housing law, art. 25).
• Buying agricultural land: if you are not a registered farmer (földműves), you can only own 1 hectare of agricultural land in total, even as an EU citizen, with exceptions, for example if the seller is a close relative (2013 Act, art. 10).

What changes by country of origin

• EU and EEA citizens: no authorisation to buy a home; agricultural land like a Hungarian citizen (tagállami állampolgár).
• British citizens (Scots included) and other non-Europeans: to buy a property that is not agricultural land, you need the authorisation of the government office (kormányhivatal) of the place of the property, before entry in the register (housing law, art. 1/A; Decree 251/2014). Fee: HUF 65,000 per property (HUF 13,000 for a home if you have a right of free movement or long-term residence and have applied for Hungarian nationality; art. 1/B); processing time: 45 days. Refusal possible in case of harm to the public or municipal interest (criminal record, ban on residence…).
• Swiss citizens: the housing law does not treat as a "foreigner" a national of a State treated as the EU and the EEA by an international treaty (art. 91/A, point 25). The text does not name Switzerland, but the agreement on the free movement of persons in principle places it in this category (the OIF treats Swiss citizens as EEA nationals): you should therefore not need this authorisation, like an EU citizen. Have the notary or lawyer confirm this before signing.