Bought an apartment in Batumi: a plan for the first three months

The deal is closed, the title is recorded in the Public Registry, and the keys are yours. It feels like the hard part is over, but the first three months decide how the apartment will live from now on: whether it will earn income, stand for half a year waiting for renovation, or start getting damp with nobody looking after it. Below is the order in which we usually take owners from the keys to the first tenant or guest.

Week one: documents, meters, the building

First, check a fresh extract from the Public Registry: you should be the owner, with no old mortgages or bans. Then transfer the contracts for electricity, water and gas, if there is gas, to your name, and take meter readings at the handover of the keys, preferably with photos. The previous owner's utility debts are hard to prove later, while a dated photo settles the dispute in a minute. And change the lock, or at least the cylinder: keys may still be with the previous owners, agents and tradespeople.

In a building with a management company, register with it as the new owner: get the building rules, the details for the monthly charge, emergency contacts, access cards or codes. If the apartment is in a new build and the developer hands over the keys, first accept it by a handover certificate and record all defects before signing. How we do this for owners is described on the page about taking over an apartment from the developer.

Week two: decide what the apartment is for

Everything else depends on this decision: renovation, furniture, budget and even which sockets to fit. There are four options: live in it yourself, let it to guests by the night, let it long term, or keep it for yourself for the season and under supervision the rest of the time. Daily letting needs a hard-wearing finish, a set of linen and quick cleaning. A long let is calmer, but the apartment must be comfortable to live in: wardrobes, a workplace, a proper kitchen. The difference between these formats is covered on the page “Daily or long-term letting”.

If in doubt, look at the building. In a seaside complex with hundreds of studios, daily letting is the norm and the building rules are made for it. In a residential quarter near a school, long lets work better.

Month one: the estimate and the start of renovation

Renovation starts not with tiles but with measurements and a list of decisions: where the kitchen goes, how many sockets, what lighting, whether a partition is needed. The earlier these decisions are made, the fewer the stoppages. The estimate and design take one to three weeks, then rough work begins. If you are not in Batumi, the renovation can be run remotely: photos and videos of each stage, certificates, payment by stage. This is how our renovation for owners abroad works.

Renovation timelines in Batumi depend on more than the crew. Building rules limit the hours for noisy work, in summer resort complexes may ban it altogether, and made-to-measure kitchens and some materials take weeks to arrive. Why this happens and how to live with it is covered in our article on renovation timelines in Batumi.

Month two: furniture, appliances, small things

Furniture and appliances are chosen for the format. For daily letting what matters is durability, easy cleaning and a uniform set: two sets of linen per bed, towels, tableware for the number of guests. For a long let, wardrobes, a washer-dryer and a comfortable desk matter more. Kitchens and wardrobes are best ordered as soon as the walls are ready: then they arrive at the end of the renovation, not a month after it. Scan warranty cards and receipts for appliances straight away and keep them in one folder: in a year they will be impossible to find, and the air conditioner will break in August. The list of what we put into an apartment for letting is on the page about fitting out for daily letting.

Month three: launching the letting and taxes

Before launch the apartment is photographed for listings: in daylight, in good light, without clutter. We write house rules for guests and fit a code lock or agree key handover with the reception, if the building rules allow it. For the first months we set the price slightly below the market to collect the first reviews, then raise it. The first guests will show what you cannot see at acceptance: a noisy fridge, awkward lighting by the bed, weak shower pressure. These small things are best fixed in the first month, while there are few reviews.

Letting income in Georgia is taxed, and the regime depends on how you are registered. It is better to sort this out before the first guest, not at the end of the year. The options are described on the page about rental income taxes for owners.

Bought an apartment and left: if you are far away

Most of our clients do not live in Batumi. They need someone on site to accept the work, meet tradespeople, pay the utility bills, check the apartment after a downpour and send a clear report. We take on this work under a contract; more on the page about management for owners abroad.

To sum up: a week for documents, a week for the decision, a month for the estimate and rough renovation, a month for finishing and furniture, and a few more weeks for the launch. For some it takes less than three months, for others more. The main thing is that the apartment does not stand empty and closed while you decide what to do with it.