Legalising buildings in Batumi: houses, storeys, extensions without a permit

Legalising a building in Batumi: when it is needed and how it works

Legalising a building in Batumi is needed when a house, storey, extension or terrace was built without a permit or not as the permit said. Until the building is legalised it is not in the Public Registry, and the registry may suspend a transaction with the plot it stands on. Such a house is hard to sell, mortgage and insure, and City Hall may fine the owner and order demolition of whatever does not fit the rules. Legalisation turns the building into a registered one with a clear floor area.

Two routes

The government has set separate rules for older buildings: City Hall considers the application within 30 days and may require windows, balconies and terraces facing the neighbouring plot to be put in order. For newer buildings the route is longer and more expensive, and it usually begins with a fine.

Which documents we prepare

• a fresh extract and cadastral plan of the plot;
• a topographic base and a site location plan;
• a measured survey and an as-is design;
• photos of the building from all sides;
• a structural stability report;
• the neighbour's consent if the building stands on the boundary.

A stability report is required when City Hall needs to be sure the building is safe. An engineer prepares it after an inspection; more on the building inspection page. If the building stands too close to the neighbour or encroaches on someone else's land, we stake out the boundaries first; more on the boundary staking page.

When legalisation will not work

Not everything can be legalised. A building on someone else's or municipal land, beyond the street's red line, in a pipeline protection zone or with a serious violation in a heritage zone often does not pass. Then we decide what can be kept: sometimes it is enough to rebuild part of it, remove a balcony or change the windows. We say so honestly after the first review, so you do not pay for a submission that is doomed from the start.

Legalisation and an extra storey

If after legalisation you want to add a storey or rebuild the house, it is convenient to do it as one project: the measured survey and inspection for legalisation become the basis of the reconstruction design; more on the reconstruction design page. A layout change in an apartment in an apartment building is legalised differently; see the layout change with legalisation page.

Before a sale

Legalisation is most often remembered when a buyer turns up: their lawyer compares the extract with the house and sees that the floor area does not match. Legalisation at that point holds the deal up for months. If a sale is planned, start with the measured survey in advance; how a sale works is described on the transaction support page.

How much legalisation costs

Legalising a building with a measured survey, as-is design, submission and follow-up costs from 3 900 ₾. A structural stability report from 1 620 ₾, measured drawings of an existing building from 6.5 ₾ per m², a measurement (cadastral) drawing of the plot from 600 ₾. An inspection of an existing house with a report on its earthquake resistance from 2 820 ₾. Fines, state duties and fees are paid separately. The final cost is set after reviewing the documents and inspecting the building.