Someone else's address registered at the home you bought: how an owner removes it in Bulgaria, and how to prevent it before the deal

You buy a flat, move in — and the letterbox starts filling with post for people you have never met. The previous owner, their relatives or former tenants have left their permanent or current address registered at the property. It happens more often than you might think, especially with inherited homes and properties that were let for years.

The good news is that Bulgarian law gives owners a procedure to end someone else's registration. The better news is that most of these cases can be prevented before you ever reach the notary.

What address registration is — and what it isn't

Under Bulgaria's Civil Registration Act everyone has a permanent address (for official correspondence with the state and the municipality) and a current address (where they actually live). Registration is handled by the municipality or the city district.

To register a current address in someone else's property, a person must show a document entitling them to use it (for example a lease) or the owner's written consent — a declaration made in person at the municipality or with a notarised signature (Art. 92 of the Act). The law also caps the number of registrations: they may not exceed twice the number of people who can normally live in the dwelling.

Most importantly: address registration gives no right to the property. It does not make the person a co-owner, a tenant or a user. It is an administrative fact — an entry in a register.

Why it is still a problem for the new owner

• Post and court papers. Court documents, letters from bailiffs and official correspondence about other people's debts arrive at your address. The debts are not yours, but it is unpleasant and time-consuming.
• The waste fee. Since 2026 municipalities may set the household waste fee according to the number of users, and people with a current address at the property count as users. If your municipality uses this approach, someone else's registration can push up your fee. More in our guide to property tax and the waste fee.
• Your own family's registration — in a small flat, the Art. 92 cap can already be taken up by strangers.
• When you sell later, your buyer will ask you the same question you should be asking today.

Before the purchase: how to protect yourself

The cheapest way to solve the problem is to make sure it never arises.

1. Ask the seller directly who has a permanent or current address at the property — including relatives and former tenants. Get the answer in writing.
2. Put an obligation in the preliminary contract. The seller undertakes that everyone registered will change their address before the notary deed is signed or before handover. How such a contract is written and what happens if it is breached is in our guide to deposits and preliminary contracts.
3. Tie part of the price to performance. If in doubt, a small part of the price can be agreed to be paid once the registrations have been ended.
4. Record it in the handover protocol, alongside the meter readings and the keys. How the protocol works is explained in our after-the-notary guide.

Address registration is only one of the checks before buying. The full list is in our guide to legal checks before buying a property.

After the purchase: the deregistration procedure

If the registrations are already there and the people do not live at the property, the owner can ask for them to be removed under Art. 99b(5) of the Civil Registration Act. Municipalities across the country apply this procedure routinely. The steps are usually as follows.

1. An application to the mayor of the municipality or district where the property is. You attach your title document (notary deed or other title). Municipalities charge a fee under their own tariff — in Sofia's Vrabnitsa district, for example, it is €30.68 including VAT (indicative, checked November 2026). Some municipalities first verify that the applicant really is the owner.

2. An on-site check. The mayor appoints a commission that checks whether the people actually live at the address. The law sets short deadlines for each step, but the overall time depends mainly on how quickly the people concerned can be notified.

3. Notifying the people concerned. They are notified in writing. If they cannot be found, the municipality posts the notice on its notice board and website, under the Administrative Procedure Code. That is why many municipal websites have whole sections of "notices of deregistration of address registrations".

4. The mayor's order. If it is established that the people do not live at the property, their registration there is cancelled and they are registered at an official address (Art. 99b(7)) — the address of a municipal property, most often the municipal building itself.

5. Consequences for the person removed. They must replace their identity documents within one month of being notified (Art. 99b(8)) or declare a new address.

6. Appeals. The order can be challenged within 14 days of notification before the administrative court under the Administrative Procedure Code. An appeal does not suspend the order (Art. 92(14)) — the deregistration stands unless the court decides otherwise.

When deregistration is not the answer

The procedure works when people do not live at the property. If someone actually occupies it — a former owner who has not moved out, a tenant on an old lease, a relative — the commission will find that, and the registration will not be removed. The question is then not administrative but civil: who has the right to use the property, and if necessary a claim in court. The civil registration procedure is not a way to remove a person from a home.

If you yourself let a relative live in your property, see our guide to the loan for use — it explains how to agree on moving out and changing the address at the moment you give consent.

Just as important: deregistration has nothing to do with other people's debts. The previous owner's liabilities remain theirs. That is why, before buying, the property is checked for mortgages, attachments and pending litigation — those are what can actually affect you.

Checklist

Before signing:

• in writing from the seller: who is registered at the address;
• a clause in the preliminary contract to end the registrations;
• if in doubt — part of the price after performance;
• a check of the property for encumbrances and litigation.

After the purchase, if there are other people's registrations:

• an application to the mayor of the municipality/district under Art. 99b(5);
• a copy of the title document and the fee paid;
• watch the notices on the municipality's website;
• if someone actually lives in the property — talk to a lawyer about the civil route.

General information, not legal advice. Municipal practice differs in the details (documents, fees, timing). Checked November 2026.

If you are buying and would like us to check registrations and encumbrances in advance, or you already have a case like this — call us or come into the office.