xavierx

Hi everyone,

I have been looking at Hungary for quite some time now, as I really need a extremely large home for various reasons.

The problem I am having is that my research tells me that as a UK foreigner, I can't buy farmland, but I don't understand what is classified as farmland.
I have read the first 20 or so results from google, and every single one of these "moving to Hungary" advice sites seem to give different opinions.

I am not looking at anything that is an actual farm but most of the larger houses I have been looking at in the Bacs-Kiskun area (600sqm+) com with significant sized plots of land (10/15/20k sqm)

Some of the conflicting "advice" says that anything over 6k sqm is a farm. Is this true?
Is there a way that I can purchase properties that have large 10/15/20k sqm gardens (and like I say are definitely not farms)

Thanks in advance for any help

Peter_in_Hungary

It is not farms you can't buy but agricultural land. Having said that you are allowed to buy up to 1ha (10,000 m2) each so you, your wife/partner and child (I think) can each buy 1 ha. which would total 3 ha. in the family. The classification of any land is noted in the Land Office (UK Land Registry) If a plot is more than 1 ha it can be split up into smaller units (but not less than 6000m2) to get around the 1 ha. rule but sellers will be reluctant to do this as costs are involved so you would need to have a conditional contract assuring purchase once the land has been split. Once someone purchases land the sale is posted on the notice board and internet for 60 days and there is a list of preferred buyers (local people, animal keepers, farmers who are not local and others) who can step in and purchase the land under the same contract conditions (price etc.) as the original. A local land committee made up of local farmers has vetting rights after the 60 days. The aim of the regulations is to stop land speculation, people buying land to rent out and to keep where possible land ownership local (no absentee landlords). If you and your wife(partner purchase say 2 x 8,000m2 plots then to stop someone stepping in to buy one of them you make each contract conditional on the other. You can't buy the same 16,000 bit of land jointly and say its 8,000 each, it has to be 2 plots.

Farms in Hungary (tanya in Hungarian) would typically be a small(ish) house with agricultural buildings/barns attached as one long building. What you should be looking for is a Major (English manor house) This will be a large(er) house with land around it but typically the plot of the Major will not be agricultural land. Whether you can get a plot size you need obviously depends upon any particular site but you may be able to purchase adjcent land if available and the Major would not be part of your 1 ha. allowance assuming it is not agricultural land.

One up from a Major is a Kastély (translates as Castle but without battlements so really a serious manor house) although the definitions applied to properties get blurred as estate agents will have delusions of grandeur.
One example on a quick dip into the internet Eladó kastély - Bács-Kiskun megye, Lakitelek, Szikratanya #32316670 priced at 180k gbp.
When you search the internat I sugest using elado major and elado kastély.
Have fun looking.

xavierx

Thankyou, that is an incredibly useful reply.

I've basically been looking at rundown / abandoned large properties, so I can't imagine someone local wanting to step in to buy when they have been up for sale for many years already.

A few of the places I have been looking at had "Major" in the description but there translation sites offer no useful translation, so I am glad I now know what Major means

The problem is not going to be not having enough land, the problem is going to be having too much land, so your tip on being able to split the land is exactly what I wanted to hear


I don't suppose you know of a way I can do my own research on the land classification when I find places I like? One thing I have found so far is that the real estate agents are almost entirely unhelpful and / or lacking in knowledge of the properties

Many thanks

Peter_in_Hungary

The option for others to step in and buy only applies to agricultural land. Other types of property e.g.major typically won't be agricultural land so those regulations don't apply so any contract of sale / purchase is a done deal.

In the absence of sensible replies from estate agents the only way to find out what the category of a particular plot would be to look in the Land Office where the plots are all noted on the map as to what classification applies to each plot. Maps are free to look at, but you can't view them on line. Also in the Land Office the 'deeds' of a plot will also have the classification on them (in the first section of the deeds) again free to view but not on line I think it is reasonable to assume that if something is listed as Major (or tanya) then it won't be agricultural. ( Note - people registered with the Hungarian tax office can view on line up to a limited number a year after which charges are made otherwise you can rock up to the land office in the area and view as much as you like for free).

Typically majors or tanyas don't have large amounts of land and unless the owner has bundled together several plots I would be surprised if many had over 1 ha of land and your opening post quoted 2 ha.. Having a bigger plot than you envisage shouldn't be a problem, just plant trees of your choice and let it happen.

xavierx

OK thankyou, I understand you regarding agriculture, looks like I will need to go and find the Land Office then (when all this covid restriction stuff is over of course ) I'm unfortunately only beginner level Hungarian, so communication in person might be tricky.

I'm fairly sure everything I am looking at wont be agricultural, but best to check.

On the last point, sorry if I was not very clear in what I was saying. I am perfectly happy to have a large amount of land, the problem I am going to have is getting something I like under 2ha (as I can't split the land with my wife I guess, but don't have kids) the kind of places I have been looking at, as in abandoned "Major" properties tend to come with significant land.

For example, the last place I looked at was listed as 20,000 sq meters, but when I sketch it out on google maps looking roughly at the borders overhead, it looks more like 25,000 sq meter and the real estate agent could not be any less interested in clarifying anything.

Or are you saying I'm only limited to the 2ha if it is agricultural land? Sorry if I am being thick, you have been incredibly helpful.

Peter_in_Hungary

You are only limited to 1 ha each if it is agricultural land. If it is not agricultural land the limit doesn't apply.

You could ask the estate agent if they can send you the 1st part of the deeds from the land office, this will tell you the property classification and the area. I would expect the agent to have access to this as part of their job. Hungarian - Tulajdoni Lap első rész English - ownership document, first part

Another item, probably not relevant to you is that only real people can own agricultural land i.e. a company can't buy land but can rent it.

When you get to a Land Office there will probably be someone there who has a foreign language at some level, either English or German would be favourite. But take your smart phone with google translate - its a lot better at Hungarian - English - Hungarian than it used to be.

xavierx

Right perfect, thankyou again.

I'll try the estate agent again, but they are so not interested in being helpful, that's why I was hopeful to be able to do my own research. I wouldn't care so much, but it's my favourite property so far.

Many thanks

Peter_in_Hungary

One point to check on any of the type of properties you are looking at is water supply. Mains water may not be available and whilst a well may be listed unless it is a bore hole it will almost certainly fall short of potable water quality.

duztee

One quick question Xavier, are you in Hungary or trying to do research from farther afield?
Also what sort of standards are you looking for?
Can you live with the Hungarian standard? As Peter correctly points out, if you are looking at a large house in a country location then services may well be woefully inadequate.
And the very cheap purchase price will be nothing compared to the cost of making it a comfortable, habitable domicile, further to add that which has been stated many times on this forum, Hungary is not a good property investment option. So whatever you buy be sure you really like it, because you are probably going to be stuck with it for a long time - there is a good reason there are so many of these types of abandoned properties for sale.

xavierx

I think most of the properties I have looked at have had well water only. I assume that on a property that has been empty 10-20 years there is a good chance that the well will have failed and I will need to get a new one bored.

At the moment I don't know how costly or easy that is to arrange

Many thanks

xavierx

I have not travelled since the covid times, so I am currently only looking remotely. I intend to spend some significant time viewing in person once travel restrictions are lifted / reduced.

The most important thing to me above all else is space. I am absolutely desperate for space. As I am sure you are aware, having any kind of reasonable space in the UK is not even something a person can dream of anymore, with the insane prices.

Due to family issues, I will not be able to move permanently to Hungary for a few years, so I am looking to buy a large project, and renovate it over that period of years. This means that I will have no shortage or time, or funds (well relatively speaking) to do so, as I will be able to spread the cost over several years rather than having to borrow any money hopefully.

If I am able to find the right place, then I intend for it to be my final home, so I have no concern over any future value of the property (assuming nothing bad happens that would force me to leave)

Many thanks

Moses2013

I can understand when people complain that places are too crowded and need some space, but are you really sure you need so much land? I was in the UK last week and even over there a a lot of people have more land than they need and not everywhere has insane prices. I see the same here in the Republic of Ireland and quite a few would happily give away some of the land they have. Over the years I have known many people who moved abroad for cheap land and underestimated the true costs and work you actually have. Unless you are a professional farmer what benefits would you have? We don't even have that much space (less than an acre) and now leave some of the garden go wild because it's too much work and still have an oversupply of fruit and veg, be it tomatoes, apples, goji berries etc. With temps above 30c now you have the horse flies/ticks and try controlling weeds.

wolfi

Wish you luck!
Infrastructure can be a big problem as I know from some people's experience, not only water but also:
Electricity
The house I bought 20 years ago had only one phase - 20 A. Can you imagine how often the fuse reacted?
3 phase is a must - we have discussed this here
Water
Just a well?
Sewage
How do you get rid of this?
Most villages now have canals, but outside a village?
Gas
Roads
I've seen roads in winter with 30 cm of snow, no plow service outside a village.
How do you reach your house or go shopping?
Shops
A supermarket not too far away, doesn't have to be a Tesco, Aldi or Lidl or Spar will do.
We decided in the end to buy in a village - it was just much more convenient.
And now that we're getting older we sold and bought a smaller (!!!) house not too far from Budapest - better connections.
Think carefully before you decide!

xavierx

It is building size I need. the land is just a side effect of owning a larger building, but I have plenty of ideas for what to do with the land.

I currently have 3200sq foot total floor space, and bought my property a long time ago when house prices were sensible. I need AT LEAST double what I currently have. Anything at all in that size range in the UK is in the £1million+ range, and the gap between what my current property is worth, and what a property of that size would cost is far far beyond what I could even possibly borrow from the bank in the rest of my life.

On the other hand there are many 6000-7000 sq foot properties in Hungary to be had in ready to move in condition for £200-250k, and less than half that price for empty projects. It's the difference between possible and impossible

xavierx

I definitely need lots of electricity, that is probably just as much a problem here as it is in Hungary, I got quoted over £20,000 to have 3 phase installed at my current properly, which is just ridiculous.

I saw a couple of threads on here where people upgraded their power and the prices did not seem too high. I imagine I would have to somehow check with the power company if there is capacity for upgrade available before I bought a Hungarian property, is this something possible?

I managed to track down the owner of one of the properties on my shortlist (after getting bored of trying to deal with the lazy real estate agents) and the lady was very helpful and told me they had 2 bored wells and 3x40amp power, so that one sounds good to go.

I have no idea how sewage works in Hungary, I assume septic tank of some sort in remote areas?

I had not given the snow any thought. Can you hire private snowplows to clear your road? (or do I need to attach a scoop to the front of my car? 🤣)

It does not seem to be too difficult to be within 15minutes drive of a Tesco / Lidl from what I have seen so far

Thankyou for giving me some points to think about