[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]The question asked in this article title may appear to have a very obvious answer. However, the inquiry required in Costa Rica is much more extensive than a would-be property purchaser may first envision. The...
[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]I have over 30 years of combined experience as primarily a real estate attorney, in both Canada and Costa Rica, and also a law degree from each jurisdiction (English common law and Roman civil law, respectively), and a...
[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]When you purchase a completed home in Costa Rica, issues such as the correct zoning, the availability of utilities and access, are most likely not to be a concern. Your main concerns will be to obtain a reliable home...
[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Costa Rica uses the Roman civil legal system, which is the legal system used by the majority of countries in continental western Europe and Latin America. It is a more formal and document-oriented legal system than the...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] When entering into a property purchase transaction in Costa Rica, the purchase and sale agreement — the initial formal legal document that binds the parties to the transaction — deserves the undivided attention of the parties, but...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text] This article would be more apt under a “social” rather than a “legal” due diligence category. But I believe that after 24 years of living in Costa Rica — 19 of them practicing law — a reflection on these social...
[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text] What are the differences between registered title properties and concession leasehold properties in Costa Rica? This outlines the key distinctions and considerations, particularly for foreign ownership. Registered title...
[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]In various legal transactions, you will often hear lawyers bandy about the term “due diligence,” particularly when it comes to property purchase transactions, property rental transactions, purchasing a business or...
[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Renting a residential property in Costa Rica is governed, primarily, by the provisions of the Tenancy Law (Ley General de Arrendamientos Urbanos y Suburbanos). Rental contracts are considered as being long-term rental...
[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]In Costa Rica, the three common forms of holding real property interests are: registered title properties, right of possession properties and concession leasehold properties. Each of these three real property interests...
[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Many of you reading this will have purchased a property in other jurisdictions previously, particularly in Canada or the United States. The general flow of the property purchasing process in Costa Rica is very similar to...
[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]For expats moving to Costa Rica and purchasing a home, it is useful to have ready information available to calculate the amount of funds that will be required for closing on any given property purchase transaction. The...