Effective as of 11 December 2025, Law No. 207/2025 (the “Law”) introduces important amendments to the Romanian real estate market, ranging from financial safeguards and increased transactional transparency to new rules governing sale and purchase promises.
These changes respond to practical market needs, aiming to strengthen legal certainty, protect buyers against unjustified risks, and establish clear responsibilities for developers in construction projects.
I.Sale and purchase promises – notarial form and full transparency
A key element of the Law is the prohibition of concluding sale and purchase promises in any form other than the notarial one.
In this regard, for such promises to be valid:
- they must be concluded exclusively in authenticated (notarial) form;
- they may be concluded only after the building permit has been recorded in the land register;
- the notary public is required to record the promise in the land register within a maximum of one business day from its execution.
II.Management of advance payments
The Law establishes strict rules regarding the use of amounts paid prior to the handover of the dwelling, namely:
- advance payments must be deposited into a separate bank account, dedicated to the relevant construction project;
- such amounts may be used exclusively for works related to the project for which they were paid;
- advance payments are capped as follows:
- a maximum of 25% of the dwelling price for the structural stage;
- a maximum of 20% for subsequent works, after completion of the structure.
III. Reservation agreements
Reservation agreements (prior to the execution of the preliminary agreement before a notary) are now strictly regulated as follows:
- the maximum reservation period is 60 days;
- the amount paid may not exceed 5% of the final purchase price of the dwelling;
- if the transaction is not completed due to the developer’s fault, the amounts paid must be fully refunded to the buyer.
IV.Pre-apartmentation – real estate units clearly identified from the project stage
Another important aspect introduced by the Law is “pre-apartmentation”, meaning the registration of each residential unit as a future asset in the land register even before the actual construction of the building.
These provisions offer buyers a clear advantage, as each apartment benefits from cadastral identification already at the project stage, with an exact indication of its structure and location.
Accordingly, the amendments introduced by Law No. 207/2025 primarily aim to enhance buyers’ legal certainty, through more transparent transactions and a closer connection to the land registration system.
At the same time, the Law establishes stricter financial rules for developers, limiting the use of amounts paid by clients exclusively to the financing of the relevant real estate projects. By strengthening the public record of sale promises and reservations, the new provisions contribute to reducing risks and to creating a more predictable framework for the real estate market.