# Wanted Lawyer near Serta CP



## Guest (May 24, 2010)

Hi, I quit new to forum and not sure how to get answers to the right question, I asked before but it lead nowhere. 

Can anyone recommend a English speaking lawyer (or one who has English speaking staff) in Central Portugal, Pedrogao Grande near Serta to check some property paperwork before I sign the Promissory contract? One which someone has used to do similar work would be so much easier. 

Thanks


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## PETERFC (Apr 3, 2009)

*Reply*



coleio said:


> Hi, I quit new to forum and not sure how to get answers to the right question, I asked before but it lead nowhere.
> 
> Can anyone recommend a English speaking lawyer (or one who has English speaking staff) in Central Portugal, Pedrogao Grande near Serta to check some property paperwork before I sign the Promissory contract? One which someone has used to do similar work would be so much easier.
> 
> Thanks


Hi Coleio

First do not be pushed to sign anything do as you say get the papers checked. Derek is not far from Serta and he knows some English speaking Lawyers so just wait a little for him.

Good luck 

Peterfc soon to become No6afreeman


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## John999 (Jul 6, 2009)

Hi coleio
If it gets to a point where you are struggling and don’t know where to turn, try your council head office. They normally have a citizen help office, a sort of trading standers, and if anyone helps you, they might be able to. Remember that you are entitled to a copy of your contract in your language, and the right to have both sign and register at the local conservatoria, (register office) to make sure is coacher


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## omostra06 (Sep 11, 2007)

coleio said:


> Hi, I quit new to forum and not sure how to get answers to the right question, I asked before but it lead nowhere.
> 
> Can anyone recommend a English speaking lawyer (or one who has English speaking staff) in Central Portugal, Pedrogao Grande near Serta to check some property paperwork before I sign the Promissory contract? One which someone has used to do similar work would be so much easier.
> 
> Thanks



I answered a post you put up in the tips for home buyers thread, about being careful when buying rustic land, as there is NO guarantee that a house can be built on it.
You do need to have a lawyer check the paperwork for the land before you buy, but more importantly, you need someone to check with the council that the land has viability to ever be built on, if you cant build a house on it then checking the paperwork for the land may not be important. go to the council, get a PDM check done, book an appointment with the council Architect to talk about your propored ideas about building on the plot, ask for a viability study to be done, there is a lot of checks to do before you buy land, that has little to do with the paperwork for the land and more to do with what you can do with the land.


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## John999 (Jul 6, 2009)

Excellent information Derek
Sometimes the problem here is when people starts a thread, and don’t give all the necessary information. :clap2:

Coleio, “please”, take Derek’s advice, or you might become another expat blaming the locals, the state agent or even other expats for your “bad luck”. Don’t be too stubborn or to lazy to put all the necessary work down. Buying a property in a foreigner country means a serious amount of work. Don’t cut corners if you want to get it right


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## Guest (May 25, 2010)

omostra06 said:


> I answered a post you put up in the tips for home buyers thread, about being careful when buying rustic land, as there is NO guarantee that a house can be built on it.
> You do need to have a lawyer check the paperwork for the land before you buy, but more importantly, you need someone to check with the council that the land has viability to ever be built on, if you cant build a house on it then checking the paperwork for the land may not be important. go to the council, get a PDM check done, book an appointment with the council Architect to talk about your propored ideas about building on the plot, ask for a viability study to be done, there is a lot of checks to do before you buy land, that has little to do with the paperwork for the land and more to do with what you can do with the land.


Presently I have no plan for building but to grow crops and harvest the results which I had planned to start this year, the "rustico" land is a mix of olive trees, vines and woodland. Having reached the point in the buying process where a lawyer was needed or there would be no progress, we resorted to using the Portuguese Yellow pages and found one in Lisbon (after all we do live the the UK so cannot just pop down the local CP town to find one) to read the Promissory contract which, after all, is a two way document with clauses written both by the vendedor and the comprador (or their lawyer) This is not how we would have wished it as a local lawyer would be preferred. We are attempting to do as much from here as possible so during our next visit to CP we will not be doing things which could be done from here.


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## omostra06 (Sep 11, 2007)

coleio said:


> Presently I have no plan for building but to grow crops and harvest the results which I had planned to start this year, the "rustico" land is a mix of olive trees, vines and woodland. Having reached the point in the buying process where a lawyer was needed or there would be no progress, we resorted to using the Portuguese Yellow pages and found one in Lisbon (after all we do live the the UK so cannot just pop down the local CP town to find one) to read the Promissory contract which, after all, is a two way document with clauses written both by the vendedor and the comprador (or their lawyer) This is not how we would have wished it as a local lawyer would be preferred. We are attempting to do as much from here as possible so during our next visit to CP we will not be doing things which could be done from here.


Promessa contracts can and should (for overseas buyers) be written in both English and Portuguese, your lawyer should be the one to write it and make sure its registered.


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