Thousands of families in Bulgaria rent municipal flats, and many ask the same question: can I buy the home I have lived in for years? The law allows it, but not automatically and not everywhere. What decides it is the municipality's ordinance and the will of its council. Below we set out the legal framework, the specific rules in Sofia as of November 2026, and what to keep in mind as a buyer — whether you are the tenant or someone who later buys such a flat from them.
The Municipal Property Act (ZOS) divides municipal housing into four types (Art. 42): rental housing, housing for sale, exchange and compensation, service housing and reserve housing. The municipal council decides, on the mayor's proposal, which flat belongs to which group — and can change it.
Sales are governed by Art. 47 ZOS. Municipal flats designated for sale may be sold, after a council decision, to people who meet the conditions in the municipal ordinance, to holders of long-term housing savings deposits, and to people whose homes are to be expropriated. Three rules matter most:
The contract is signed by the mayor in writing and registered by the registry judge (Art. 34(7) ZOS). No notarial deed is drawn up — the contract has the same force.
Sofia Municipality applies its 2005 Ordinance on the management and disposal of municipal housing, last amended in December 2025 (the switch to the euro). Under it, a tenant may buy if they:
Reserve flats, flats in buildings due for expropriation or declared unsafe under Art. 195 of the Spatial Development Act, flats in low-rise buildings that the detailed development plan does not retain, and flats shared by more than one household are not for sale.
The price is set under a separate Sofia ordinance on prices in property transactions and cannot be lower than the tax valuation.
The right to apply exists, but the sale depends entirely on the council voting a list. The last large decision was No. 340 of 26 May 2022 — 1,464 flats for sale to tenants — which the mayor of Krasno Selo district challenged in court. According to stolica.bg, the municipal housing stock has shrunk from 13,803 flats (2014–2020 plan) to 7,837 in 2025, and some flats are being moved back from the "for sale" pool to the rental pool.
In July 2025 Mayor Vasil Terziev said municipal flats should not be sold. A draft new ordinance from April 2025 would end sales to tenants — except for long-vacant flats, to be sold at auction — with a two-year transition for tenants who already qualify. The council postponed the draft in July 2025; as of November 2026 we found no sign it has been adopted. If you qualify, it makes sense to apply now — under the draft, pending files would be completed under the old rules.
The rules differ. In Shumen, for example, the ordinance requires 3 years as a tenant and sets the price on a licensed valuer's market valuation, but not below the tax valuation; in Elhovo you need 5 years as a tenant and no arrears on rent, waste fee or utilities, and the council approves the list of flats for sale every year by 31 March. Check your own municipality's ordinance — it is published on the municipal council's website.
Neither ZOS nor Sofia's ordinance prohibits resale, but read the actual contract — some municipalities impose restrictions. Check the chain of documents: the municipal ownership deed (AOS), registered before the sale; the council decision; the mayor's order; the registered sale contract. It is also worth confirming that the council decision was not challenged. After the purchase the owner becomes a member of the condominium with all obligations under the Condominium Management Act — see our guide to the general assembly and fees.
A tenant can buy only if the municipality has designated the flat for sale, the tenant meets the ordinance's conditions and the council votes. The price cannot be below the tax valuation, and in Sofia the procedure runs through the district and ends with a contract with the municipality, without a notary.
Information as of November 2026; this is not legal advice — the conditions depend on the specific municipal ordinance.
If you rent a municipal flat or are thinking of buying a former municipal flat, call us or visit our office — we will go through the documents with you and tell you what to check before you pay.
