Real estate · Slovakia
Property exchange agreement
Consolidating land with a neighbour, swapping flats within the family or exchanging shares? We prepare an exchange agreement under § 611 of the Civil Code, where each party is both seller and buyer, so both properties must be checked and addressed together. We oversee valuations and balancing payments, encumbrances on both sides and registration, so the exchange proceeds as one linked transaction rather than two separate transfers.
- Checks on both properties
- Balancing payments and encumbrances addressed
- Agreement and Land Register registration
What we'll do for you
Complete preparation of a property exchange, from checking both title deeds through registration of the changes in the Land Register.
Select an item to see the details.
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Initial consultation
We discuss both properties, agreed values and any balancing payment, explaining whether an exchange suits your circumstances and what it requires.
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Checks on both properties
We check title deeds, security interests, easements, enforcement entries and access on both sides — because the other property's risks become yours in an exchange.
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Bespoke exchange agreement
Precise identification of both properties, values and balancing payment, mutual liability for defects and links between the transfers so that one cannot proceed without the other.
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Balancing payment and encumbrances
We structure the balancing payment, including lawyer escrow where appropriate, and address security interests through bank cooperation, removal of the encumbrance or assumption by the new owner.
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Land Register registration
We prepare and submit the registration application. If the exchange agreement covers properties in several districts, we file a single application with any competent district office, which decides the entire application. We monitor the proceedings until both transfers are registered.
Deliverablea signed exchange agreement and both ownership transfers recorded in the Land Register
How it works
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- Consultation and checksday 0
We check both properties and highlight encumbrances or risks before you commit to the exchange.
- Agreement and signatures
We prepare the exchange agreement with the balancing payment and linked obligations. Both parties' signatures as transferors must be officially certified — we organise the procedure with you.
- Land Register registrationdepending on the Land Register
We file a single registration application with the competent district office and monitor the proceedings until both new owners are registered.
No-obligation enquiry
Ready to start?
Send us an enquiry. We reply within 24 hours with a price confirmation and next steps. The first 30-minute consultation is free and commits you to nothing.
- 1Send your enquiry via this form
- 2Within 24 h you get a price confirmation and plan
- 3We start work only after your approval
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What clients ask
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How does an exchange agreement work legally?
Under § 611 of the Civil Code, sale agreement provisions apply correspondingly to exchanges. Each party is treated as the seller of what they give and the buyer of what they receive. In practice, both have a seller's duties and liabilities, and the agreement must address both properties with equal care.
What if the properties have different values?
A balancing payment addresses the difference and is agreed directly in the exchange agreement. We link payment to the transfer, with arrangements ranging from payment at signing to lawyer escrow released after registration, depending on amount and trust between the parties.
One property has a mortgage. Can it be exchanged?
Yes, but the security interest must be addressed before registration or as part of the exchange. An encumbrance does not disappear merely because ownership changes, and the new owner would acquire it with the property. Depending on circumstances, we arrange bank cooperation, repayment and removal or assumption of the encumbrance, reflecting the conditions in the agreement.
We are exchanging only parts of plots. What is needed?
Where parts of parcels are exchanged, new parcels must first be created by a geometric survey plan prepared by a surveyor. It becomes part of the agreement and the basis for Land Register registration. We can arrange the plan and align the agreement precisely with it.
Would two sale agreements be simpler?
Usually not. With two separate sale agreements, one transfer may proceed while the other does not — for example, one registration is approved and the other suspended — leaving one party without either property or consideration. An exchange agreement links both transfers into one transaction; that link is precisely why careful preparation matters.
Legal Q&A
Common questions on this topic
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A relative and I are exchanging plots. How does an exchange agreement work, and what about tax?
An exchange agreement is a purchase agreement with payment in kind: each party is the seller of the plot they give and the buyer of the plot they receive. Ownership of both plots passes through cadastral registration under one agreement. A difference in value is settled by a balancing payment. For tax, both parties transfer property; income is the value of the plot received plus any balancing payment. The five-year ownership exemption is assessed separately for each party, and a new period begins for the received plot.
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When do I become the owner of a property: on signing the agreement or on land registration?
You become the owner only when ownership is registered in the land registry, not when the agreement is signed. Signing creates contractual obligations only; the seller remains the owner until the registry’s decision. That is why the price should be paid through escrow, releasing funds only after registration, rather than paid to the seller before registration is permitted.
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What must an estate agency agreement contain?
Under an estate agency agreement, the agency undertakes activities aimed at concluding a property agreement, and the client undertakes to pay commission. The agreement should clearly define its scope, commission amount and payment date, duration, any exclusivity, and the agent’s duties. Where the client is a consumer, additional protection applies, including a ban on unfair terms.
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Further reading
Land register access was meant to require login from July. Parliament rejected the amendment: what applies now?
The amendment would have required authentication to access ownership information and narrowed public data. Parliament did not advance it to second reading on 23 April 2026. We explain the proposal, its outcome and current access rules.
Read more →
Lawyer escrow when buying property: why the money should not go straight to the seller
The riskiest stage of a property transfer is the period between signing and land registration. Lawyer escrow of the purchase price protects both parties. We explain how it works.
Read more →
Land consolidation: what owners can influence and why silence means consent
Land consolidation reorganises ownership across an area: original plots disappear and owners receive new ones. Several procedural windows allow influence over the outcome. Missing them means silence counts as consent in both Slovakia and Czechia, and decisions proceed without you.
Read more →