How is an aparthotel unit in Batumi different from an apartment?

In listings, "apartment" can mean an ordinary apartment or a unit in an aparthotel, so first we find out which one it is. A unit in an aparthotel is rented out by the operator, and the rules, the costs and your share of the revenue are set out in your contract with them. We read this contract before the deposit: its term, your right to leave it and whether you can stay in the unit yourself. We check in the registry extract how the property is recorded, and we confirm the tax on a sale with a tax adviser: a unit that operates as part of a hotel business may be taxed as non-residential.

What costs does a property owner in Batumi have after the purchase?

The one-off costs at purchase are the Public Registry fee and, if you buy under a power of attorney, a notary and a translation. There is no property transfer tax and no stamp duty. The regular payments are: The building's service charge, if the building has a management company Electricity, gas and water, including for an empty apartment, and someone to look after it in winter Property tax if your household's annual income is above 100,000 GEL, and for a house or plot also land tax, which is paid at any income Tax on rental income if you rent the property out Repairs and replacing worn-out items, which by the sea come round more often

Can I buy property in Batumi on an interest-free payment plan?

Yes, many developers in Batumi offer interest-free payment plans, though not all of them, and each sets its own down payment, term and schedule. Compare the price for full payment with the price on the plan: that is often where the difference is hidden. The usual payment plan has no escrow, and payments go straight to the developer. We check the contract to see whether the project has a dedicated bank account or a bank guarantee. Before the first payment we also check the plot and the building permit, and we read the clauses on delays and refunds especially carefully.

What property in Batumi qualifies for a residence permit?

Non-agricultural property qualifies: an apartment, a house or commercial premises. From 1 March 2026 the market value must be above 150,000 US dollars, based on an accredited valuer's report rather than the contract price. The permit is issued for a year, with annual renewal. When the price is close to the threshold, we bring in a valuer before the deposit: the valuation may come in below the price, and then the property will not work for a residence permit.

How long does it take to buy property in Batumi?

The transaction itself is short: registration in the Public Registry can be done on the day you apply, in one working day or in four, depending on the fee you choose. More time goes into the steps before it: choosing the type of property, shortlisting, checking the documents and the property itself, and agreeing the price. If you buy remotely, add time for the power of attorney at a notary in your country and its translation. With an apartment in a building under construction you also wait for completion, and with one in frame condition there is the renovation before you move in or welcome the first guest.

What should I check when buying a house or villa in Adjara?

We check the house together with the land. In the registry extract we look at the owner, the category and area of the plot, mortgages and seizures, and we compare the boundaries on site. We find out whether the house was built with a permit and whether it is recorded in the registry. The engineer inspects the foundations, the roof, the drainage and, if the plot is on a slope, the retaining walls: with more than 2,400 mm of rain a year, water finds every mistake. We also work out the running costs: land tax, the garden and looking after an empty house in winter.

Buy property in Batumi: apartments, houses, land

Buy property in Batumi: an apartment, a house, a plot or commercial space

A studio to rent out, an apartment by the sea to live in, a villa in Gonio, a plot for your own house or premises for a business: each is checked differently and costs its owner different amounts. Here we explain how the type of property, the stage of the building and the purpose of the purchase change the checks, the timing and the costs after the deal. We search the whole market, a lawyer looks at the documents and an engineer at the property itself, and you can complete the purchase without coming to Georgia.

from 330 ₾The final price is confirmed once agreed.

Work	Price
Property search to brief, flat fee	5 400–9 000 ₾
Buyer's agent, commission	2–3 %
Legal support for a transaction	2 220–3 240 ₾
Pre-purchase technical inspection of an apartment	480–720 ₾
Property valuation by an accredited valuer	330–480 ₾

Work

Price

Property search to brief, flat fee

5 400–9 000 ₾

Buyer's agent, commission

2–3 %

Legal support for a transaction

2 220–3 240 ₾

Pre-purchase technical inspection of an apartment

480–720 ₾

Property valuation by an accredited valuer

330–480 ₾

The wish to buy property in Batumi usually starts with a picture: the sea from the window, a terrace of your own, income from renting it out. To keep that picture from letting you down, settle three questions in order: what kind of property, at what stage and what for. A studio in a building under construction, a villa in Kvariati and a unit in an aparthotel need different checks, are ready to use at different times and cost their owners different amounts.

What you can buy in Batumi and how the options differ

Apartments and aparthotel units

Batumi's high-rise buildings offer studios, one-bedroom apartments (listed as 1+1: a bedroom plus a kitchen-living room), two- and three-bedroom apartments and, on the upper floors, duplexes and penthouses. Studios and 1+1s are more often bought to rent out, because they are easier to furnish and quicker to clean between guests. A larger apartment works better for a family to live in. A penthouse or an apartment with a terrace is valued for the view and the space, but an open terrace needs looking after: the waterproofing, the gutters and the railings, which rust faster by the sea.

A unit in an aparthotel looks like an apartment but runs by different rules. It is usually managed by an operator under a contract, and the operator also sets the rental terms and splits the revenue. It also matters how the property is recorded in the registry and how it is used. If the unit operates as part of a hotel business, it may be taxed as non-residential property when you sell it; we check this with a tax adviser.

Houses, villas and plots

Houses, villas and townhouses are for sale both within the city and along the coast: in Makhinjauri, Gonio, Kvariati, Chakvi and Kobuleti. Here the lawyer checks both the house and the plot under it: the owner, the land category, the boundaries and whether the house was built with a permit. A foreigner cannot buy agricultural land, so a house on such land is not an option for a buyer without Georgian citizenship.

A plot is bought to build your own house on or as an investment for the future. Besides the category, we look at access in all weathers, the slope, the utilities nearby and what you are allowed to build, because the house design and the estimate depend on these. The property tax exemption for households with an income of up to 100,000 GEL does not apply to land.

Commercial property, hotels and guest houses

Commercial premises, a guest house or a small hotel are bought as a business and should be costed like one. We check the permitted use in the documents, the electrical capacity, street access, whether an extraction system can be installed and any existing tenants. For a hotel, the main question is occupancy month by month: tourists come to Batumi mainly between July and September, and the hotel has to get through the winter. The tax on selling non-residential property is 20%, and we build it into the calculation from the start.

The building's stage changes the checks, timing and payments

A building under construction

An apartment in a building that is still going up exists only on paper so far. So the checks centre on the developer and the contract rather than the walls: who owns the plot, who the permit was issued to, what exactly you will get at completion and when. You can buy such an apartment from the developer or from the first buyer through an assignment of their contract. In the second case we also check that buyer's contract, the payments made under it and the developer's consent, if the contract requires it.

Many Batumi developers sell apartments on interest-free payment plans, but the terms differ from building to building. The usual payment plan has no escrow: the money goes straight to the developer, and the contract shows whether the project has a dedicated bank account or a bank guarantee. While construction is under way there is no income, and after completion you still have the handover, renovation and furniture ahead.

Black frame is cheaper to buy, but the renovation then has to include partitions, plaster and screed, which in white frame are usually done already. That is why we compare the prices of apartments in different frame conditions together with the renovation estimate.

A completed building and resale property

In a completed building you can inspect the apartment, and the time until you move in or welcome the first guest is the time the renovation takes. An apartment with the developer's finishes or with furniture saves months, but such finishes are done for many apartments at once and do not always suit a humid climate. The engineer checks what materials were used in the bathroom, whether the laminate by the balcony door has swollen and how the outdoor air-conditioning units are fixed.

With resale property you can move in or take a tenant soon after registration, but along with the apartment you buy its history: past leaks, layout changes, unpaid bills. This is where the engineer has the most to do at the inspection, and the lawyer with the registry extract.

By the sea, on the beachfront or in the centre

You pay for being close to the sea twice: when you buy and while you own. On the beachfront the wind carries salt, so metal railings, fixings and outdoor air-conditioning units rust faster, and the facade and windows need more care. In summer the boulevard and the music are right under your windows. In winter, when there are few guests, such buildings can feel empty.

A sea view is worth paying for only as long as nothing blocks it. Before buying, we look at what stands and what is being built between the building and the sea, which way the windows face and from which floor the view will stay open. An apartment by the sea without a view is usually cheaper than the same one with a view, and for living in, that can be a sensible compromise.

The centre and the Old Town are lived in all year round: shops, cafes, schools and transport keep going in winter too. For everyday life this often matters more than having the sea five minutes away, and long-term tenants find these addresses more convenient. The buildings here vary in age, and with older ones we check the condition of the whole building, from the roof to the basement.

The purpose: living, renting out, investing or a residence permit

An apartment to live in is chosen to suit your family and the way you live. One to rent out is chosen with a guest or a tenant in mind and tested with numbers: how much it will leave you each month after all costs, counting the winter and the empty nights. For an investment, liquidity comes in as well: who will buy the apartment from you in a few years and how many similar ones will be for sale nearby.

For a residence permit, what counts is the market value as assessed by an accredited valuer: from 1 March 2026 it must exceed 150,000 US dollars, and only non-agricultural property qualifies. The documents include a registry extract showing your ownership, so when an apartment under construction is bought for this purpose, we look at one thing: when your ownership of it will be recorded in the registry.

Budget and buying from a distance

Budget apartments and high-end property carry different risks. A low price is often explained by a distant completion date, a small floor area, an awkward floor or a large number of similar apartments in the same building. An expensive property takes longer to sell because there are fewer buyers for it, and its price rests on the view, the floor and the finishes, which we check as strictly as the documents.

You can also buy remotely. We view the property on site, show it to you on video and send you a report. You sign a power of attorney in your own country, and a Georgian notary completes the transaction. This is convenient when you are choosing between two or three options and don't want to fly to Batumi for each one.

What it costs to own: running costs by type of property

After registration come the payments that listings don't mention: the building's service charge, utility bills even for an empty apartment, minor repairs and taxes. Property tax for foreigners follows the same rules as for Georgian citizens. Households with an income of up to 100,000 GEL a year are exempt. This threshold applies from autumn 2026, and above it the municipality sets the rate, up to 1% of the value. Land is taxed whatever the household's income, and everything else depends on the type of property.

Property	What to check before the deposit	What goes into the owner's costs
Aparthotel unit	The contract with the operator, the registry entry, whether the unit runs as a hotel room	The operator's share, maintenance, possible tax on a sale as non-residential property
Penthouse, apartment with a terrace	Terrace waterproofing, whether the terrace is included in the floor area on the extract	Upkeep of the terrace and glazing, wind and salt on the upper floors
House, villa, townhouse	Category and boundaries of the plot, the permit for the house, access	Land tax, roof, facade, drainage, garden, looking after the house in winter
Plot of land	Category, what can be built, utilities nearby	Land tax, fencing, design and permit before construction
Commercial property, hotel, guest house	Permitted use in the documents, electrical capacity, tenants or occupancy	Empty periods without a tenant, maintenance, 20% tax on selling non-residential property

Where to start if you have decided to buy property in Batumi

We start with the goal and the whole budget: the price, the registry fee, a notary and a translation if you buy under a power of attorney, renovation, furniture and the months without income. Two or three types of property fit these numbers, and only within them do we look for specific options. That means fewer wasted viewings, and the lawyer's and engineer's checks go to properties you are really ready to buy.