Buying a luxury property in Lima rarely closes on impulse, but it has happened. And almost every time it does, the buyer ends up discovering, months later, what was not reviewed: a Zoning rule that limits future expansion, a dormant lawsuit on the registry record, a homeowners’ association deadlocked by an old dispute with the developer. Details that seemed minor in the emotional phase of the purchase and that, once the operation is closed, can no longer be undone.

This checklist comes from that. It is not an impossibly exhaustive list, but the set of verifications a serious buyer should have settled before signing. It is organized in five fronts: legal, technical, financial, lifestyle, and community. Read it through, mark off what you already have under control, and dedicate the next two weeks to closing the rest.

1. Legal front: the property must be sellable clean

This is the most visible front and the one that generates the most errors when fully delegated to a single advisor. Review it alongside a lawyer independent from the seller.

Owner’s identity. Request the updated electronic registry record (CRI) from SUNARP, no older than fifteen days. The seller’s name must match the last registered titleholder. If the property went through inheritance, demand that the hereditary transmission be registered and closed, with no unrecognized heirs.

Lien certificate. This is the document that confirms whether the property has mortgages, embargoes, lawsuit annotations, or precautionary measures. Verify it on the official SUNARP page using the digital verification code; certificates without QR or digital signature are no longer acceptable as proof.

Chain of title. Trace the last twenty years of transfers in the registry record. Any gap, transfer between family members at suspiciously low values, or recent donation should trigger additional questions about origin and motivation.

Judicial litigation. Search by seller’s name in the Judicial Branch’s case lookup system (CEJ Consulta de Expedientes). An ongoing process on the property or on the seller’s patrimony can translate into a precautionary measure registered after your payment but before your registry entry.

Marital regime. If the seller is married, demand the spouse’s signature on the deed, or in its absence, the registered separation of patrimonies. Without that, the contract is challengeable.

Tax status. Request the seller’s Tax Compliance Certificate, the property tax (Impuesto Predial) receipts up to date, and the no-debt certificate from the corresponding district municipality.

Supporting documents. Descriptive memorandum, location plan, perimeter plan, registered fábrica declaration and independence. If the property was expanded or remodeled and those changes are not in the fábrica record, someone is going to have to regularize them. That someone is usually you.

2. Technical front: the property must be what it claims to be

Here the broker’s guided tour is not enough. A property worth several million deserves an inspection with professional criteria, ideally with an architect and a structural engineer who do not work for the seller.

Structure. In new properties, review the construction logbook and the concrete testing protocols. In second-hand properties, look for significant cracks, differential settlement, visible rust on rebar, and signs of structural moisture in basements or technical rooms.

Finishes. The premium segment promises a lot and delivers with variations. Verify marbles, certified woods, hardware, imported kitchens, air conditioning equipment, boilers. Request certificates of origin for the key materials.

Installations. Electrical, plumbing, gas, ventilation, home automation. Request updated as-built plans. Turn everything on during the inspection: air conditioning per room, all bathrooms, irrigation system, alarm, intercom, private elevator if there is one.

On a related note, it is worth reviewing our guide on Professional checklist for visiting a luxury property in Lima 2026, alongside SUNARP Step-by-Step Consultation for Luxury Real Estate in Lima.

Insulation and waterproofing. Check roofs, balconies, terraces, floors above parking lots, bathrooms above bedrooms. Most leaks appear in the first winter post-purchase.

Home automation and integrated systems. If the property has smart home, ask for documentation, master keys, serial numbers, and authorized service contacts. Without these, maintaining the system costs more than expected.

Zoning and urban parameters. Request the Urban and Building Parameters Certificate from the municipality. It clarifies what can be expanded, what use changes are possible, and what restrictions are in force.

3. Financial front: the total price is not just the price

The classic mistake is planning liquidity for the sale price and forgetting the fiscal-legal-administrative summary. In premium operations, the full bill moves between 4% and 6% additional on the agreed price.

Alcabala transfer tax. 3% of the transfer value, applied to the amount exceeding 10 UIT (around S/ 55,000 in 2026). In premium operations, this adds up fast. Pay it within the legal term of the following month to avoid penalties.

Notary fees. Between 0.5% and 1% of the price, depending on the notary. In high-value operations they are negotiable, but it is best to fix them in writing.

SUNARP registration. Fee proportional to property value, approximately 0.3% to 0.5%.

Legal fees. If you hire an independent lawyer for due diligence, budget between 0.5% and 1.5%. It is one of the expenses with the best cost-benefit ratio.

Broker commissions. If you buy through an intermediary, confirm who pays (seller, buyer, or both) and get the breakdown in writing.

Source of funds. If you transfer from abroad, prepare bank documentation and the certificate of lawful origin of funds. Operations above the SBS threshold go through anti-money-laundering validation, and several days of delay are normal.

Currency conversion. The price may be agreed in dollars but the alcabala is paid in soles at the day’s exchange rate. Small differences become relevant in large operations.

Monthly maintenance. HOA fees, common areas, security, butler service. In premium condominiums these can easily exceed S/ 4,000 monthly per unit. Ask for last year’s budgets.

To complement this analysis, we recommend exploring Emotional Mistakes When Buying a Luxury Property and How to Shield Yourself and Hidden costs of buying a luxury apartment: what the listing does not say.

Projected property tax. Calculate the annual predial tax with the updated self-assessment, not the one from five years ago.

4. Lifestyle front: the property has to work for you

This front is evaluated with time and, if possible, with several visits at different hours. What you see on a Saturday at noon is not what you live on a Tuesday at half past seven in the evening.

Weekday route. Measure real time to the children’s school, your partner’s workplace, the office or club. Lima’s rush hour shifts the equation considerably.

Nighttime noise. Visit the area between 9 and 11 at night. Some districts change character when restaurants close, others become uncomfortably silent, others explode with horns.

Solar orientation. Verify morning sun, afternoon sun, and exposure to southern wind. In Lima, poor orientation means cold nights and summers without natural light.

View and privacy. Check the effective height of the closest neighbor and the pre-sale projects nearby. An ocean view can disappear when the tower on the adjacent lot gets built.

Nearby services. Premium supermarkets, clinics with complementary plans, gyms, spas, cultural centers. Mark on a map the ten services your family uses most and verify time to each.

Connectivity. Fiber optic from serious operators, mobile coverage, electrical redundancy if you work from home with international clients.

Environmental security. Beyond the project’s marketing, talk to neighbors of the previous building. Ask about incidents in the last year.

For additional reference, see Technical Inspection of Luxury Properties: Why It Is Non-Negotiable Before Closing.

5. Community front: the building has its own politics

Buying in a premium building means entering a community. And like every community, it has history, conflicts, leaders, and tension zones worth knowing about beforehand.

Homeowners’ association. Request the last three minutes of regular assembly. Read them. If there are recurring disputes, you will see them there.

Internal regulations and bylaws. Review restrictions on short-term rentals, pets, events, interior modifications. In some buildings, split-type air conditioning on the façade is forbidden. In others, floor changes require approval.

HOA financial statement. Verify reserves, neighbors’ overdue fees, supplier debts, ongoing lawsuits. An indebted HOA is a special fee waiting to appear.

Common areas. See the real state, not the brochure version. Pool with fresh chlorine, gym with current equipment, clean event lounge, terrace with furniture in good condition.

Staff and management. Is administration in-house or outsourced? How many years has it been operating? Is there high turnover among concierges and butler service?

Ongoing projects. Planned reforms, works in common areas, façade changes. These decisions imply special fees that should be disclosed before signing.

Floor neighbors. In very high-end properties, it is worth meeting at least the owner of the floor above and the one below. Acoustics, habits, and coexistence are felt more between three units than across an entire building.

The closing: signed documents, keys received, aftersales active

Closing day is usually a notary morning with several documents. Before signing, review the full deed once more: price, payment terms, dates, inventory of included furniture if any, eviction warranty clause, hidden defects warranty.

After signing, three critical tasks remain that many buyers overlook. First, register the transfer with SUNARP within the legal term. Second, change titleholder records with the building’s HOA and obtain the new owner card or credential. Third, formalize aftersales with the developer or seller: warranty period, contact for the responsible party, procedure for reporting defects. If those three tasks are not closed within the first sixty days, the operation ends with loose ends that are costly to reopen later.

A well-bought luxury property in Lima shows little at first. Its real value appears five years later, when other owners in the same building have problems you do not. That difference, almost always, lives in this checklist.