A lawyer confirms that you can own the apartment. A civil engineer confirms that it is legally permitted. Neither of them tells you what the building is going to cost you over the next five years. That is the single question this audit exists to answer.
What arrives
A written technical report on the observed condition of the asset. The specimen report runs to 16 pages and contains:
- A flagged items summary at the front, so the findings that need a decision are on page four rather than page fourteen
- Every inspection point scored on a fixed four-tier scale
- Photographic evidence attached to each finding, timestamped on the day of the visit
- Thermal imagery where a temperature anomaly is present
- A 5-year CapEx forecast for the asset
- The full scope limitation notice, so you know exactly what the report does and does not cover
The report is issued in English. It is yours, and it travels with the asset.
The six asset classes
Every audit covers the same six asset classes, in the same order, on every property. A report from January therefore means the same thing as a report from June.
| LOT | Asset class | Representative scope |
|---|---|---|
| LOT 00 | General environment | Street type and noise, building access, intercom, mailboxes, staircase, elevator service status, gas riser |
| LOT 01 | Electrical systems | Distribution board, RCD 30mA differential test, terminal tightness, power sockets, bathroom safety zones, lighting points, kitchen 32A circuit, low voltage and data network |
| LOT 02 | Plumbing and HVAC | Main stop valve, network pressure, water heater, safety group, drains and siphons, taps and mixers, split A/C performance, condensate drainage, washing machine installation |
| LOT 03 | Joinery and closings | Entrance door and locking system, sliding doors, tilt and turn windows, rolling shutters, interior door hardware |
| LOT 04 | Finishes and surfaces | Floor tiling adhesion, wet area waterproofing, skirting adhesion, paintwork |
| LOT 05 | Amenities and white goods | Refrigerator, oven and hobs, dishwasher, extractor, remote control inventory |
How a finding is scored
Four tiers, and only four. The value of a fixed scale is that it removes the adjective.
| Tier | What it means |
|---|---|
| Critical Failure | A safety, security, structural or systemic functional risk that needs a decision now |
| Minor Defect | No immediate risk, but left unaddressed it becomes future CapEx |
| Conformed | Meets the expected condition and standard for its type and age |
| Not Applicable | Not present in this asset |
A main shut-off valve that cannot be reached is a Critical Failure, not because it is broken but because on the day a flexible hose lets go, the person in the apartment cannot stop the water. Water hammer in the network is a Minor Defect: nothing fails today, and the repeated pressure shock shortens the life of every joint downstream of it. The tier is a statement about consequence and timing, not about severity of appearance.
What thermal imaging adds
A thermal camera reads surface temperature. Where a temperature difference exists between inside and outside, it shows where heat is crossing the envelope, which is how thermal bridging around a door frame becomes visible, and how damp behind a finished surface reveals itself as a cold patch that a painted wall conceals entirely.
Two honest limits. The scan depends on there being a temperature differential on the day, so results vary with season and hour. And a thermal anomaly indicates a defect without proving its cause, which requires invasive investigation the audit does not perform.
The CapEx forecast, and how it is checked
The audit produces a 5-year forecast of capital expenditure for the asset, built on Athens market averages. These are indicative figures, not contractor quotations.
Concretely, when work is later proposed and a real contractor quotation arrives, that quotation is compared against the original forecast, with a working target of ±15% variance. A forecast nobody audits against reality is a guess with good formatting.
Most Athens resale stock is 30 to 50 years old. The elements that consume capital in that stock are predictable: the water heater, the entrance door, the electrical distribution board, wet area waterproofing. Knowing which of them is at what point in its life is the difference between planning CapEx and reacting to it.
What this audit is not
Stated plainly, because a defined boundary is more useful to you than a vague one.
- It is not a Technical Due Diligence signed by a certified Civil Engineer (Michanikos)
- It is not a substitute for the Electronic Building Identity (Ilektroniki Taftotita Ktiriou) required under Greek law for property transfer
- It is not a legal title search
- The inspection is visual and non-destructive. Structural elements are not dismantled, fittings are not removed, foundations are not excavated
- Utility checks are functional spot checks and do not certify compliance with Greek Industrial Standards (ELOT)
Before completing any transaction you still need a lawyer for title and debt checks at the Land Registry, and a civil engineer to certify urban planning legality. We will say this to you every time, including when it slows a deal down. The full scope, including what we refuse to do, is set out on the scope page.
Independence
Klehomerie holds no commercial relationship with any estate agency, broker, or developer in Greece, and accepts zero commission, finders' fee, or rebate from any contractor or architect. The entire fee comes from the client.
This matters more than it sounds. A contractor who inspects your apartment earns money by finding work they can carry out. We do not sell construction work, so a finding costs us nothing to omit and nothing to include.
Price and next step
€490, exclusive of VAT at 24%.
If you are still deciding whether the apartment is worth a full audit, the Red Flag Technical Scan at €97 is a 45-minute visual diagnostic built for exactly that Go or No-Go decision.