Most buyers read two parts of a technical due diligence report: the first page and the cost total. A well-built report is designed for exactly that. The decision sits on page one, the evidence in the middle and the report’s own limits at the end, so a buyer, lawyer or lender can see within minutes what was checked, what was found and what nobody has verified yet.

This article answers one question: once a technical due diligence mandate for a Greek property is signed, what exactly do you receive? Whether you need TDD at all is covered in our guide to technical due diligence in Greece and in our comparison of TDD and a property inspection. What follows is the report itself, in the order it is delivered.

What Is Included in a Technical Due Diligence Report: The Nine Sections

1. Executive Decision Summary

One or two pages: the material findings, the overall risk position, the actions required before signing and the indicative capital exposure, written so that a principal who reads nothing else can still decide.

2. Asset Description and Agreed Scope

What was assessed and what was not: buildings, outbuildings, pools and external works, the site visit date, the access granted and the intended use the report assumes. A villa bought for family use and the same villa bought to let or convert raise different questions, and this section fixes that frame.

3. Documents and Evidence Reviewed

Every document the findings rely on is listed: building permit and approved drawings, the Electronic Building Identity where one has been issued, any regularization declarations, the energy performance certificate, maintenance and warranty records, and seller disclosures. So are the documents requested and not received, because in Greek transactions a gap in this list is often a finding in its own right.

4. Discipline-by-Discipline Findings

The body of the report: visible structural elements, building envelope and roof, moisture and waterproofing, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, external works and site conditions, and a comparison between the approved drawings and what stands on the plot. Each finding is described, located, photographed and marked as either directly observed or requiring specialist verification. The method is visual and functional: systems are checked in normal operation where practicable, not load or pressure tested. Where the drawings and the building disagree, the discrepancy is flagged for formal confirmation by a licensed Greek engineer, the process set out in our guide to building permit due diligence in Greece.

5. Material Risk and Action Register

A single table that pulls every material finding out of the narrative and gives it a priority, a likely consequence, a recommended action and an owner: the seller before completion, the buyer’s lawyer, a named specialist, or the buyer after handover. Lawyers draft contract conditions from it; buyers negotiate from it.

6. Immediate, Near-Term and Medium-Term Priorities

The same findings, sorted by when they need money or action rather than by discipline.

7. Indicative CapEx Observations

Where scoped, an order-of-magnitude view of the repair and replacement spend over the holding period. Its limits are explained below, because it is the section most often over-read.

8. Recommended Specialist Investigations

Where a visual review cannot close a question, the report says who should close it and what they should answer: a structural engineer’s assessment of a crack pattern, a topographic survey of a disputed boundary, opening-up of a suspect waterproofing detail. On a complex asset the list can be long, as our Mykonos villa due diligence report example shows.

9. Limitations and Unresolved Information

Areas not accessed, systems not running on the day, documents still outstanding. This is not small print. It shows exactly where the report’s assurance stops.

How Findings in a TDD Report Are Graded and Prioritized

A finding is graded on two axes. The first is materiality: could it change the decision, the price or the contract terms? An unpermitted addition that affects usable floor area, active water ingress reaching the structure, an electrical installation that needs replacement rather than repair: these are material. Cosmetic wear and routine maintenance are recorded but not escalated, because a report that escalates everything gives the buyer nothing to negotiate with.

The second axis is timing. Immediate means before signing or before occupation, handled as a seller obligation, a price adjustment or a contract condition. Near term means the first year or two of ownership. Medium term means within a typical holding period. A good report adds a third signal, confidence: a defect seen directly carries more weight than one inferred from a stain or a document.

CapEx Indications vs a Formal Cost Plan

An indicative CapEx observation says that a roof membrane, a boiler or a facade is approaching the end of its service life, and gives a realistic order of magnitude for dealing with it. That is enough to shape a negotiation and a holding-period budget. It is not a cost plan: no quantities have been measured and no contractor has priced a specification. Where a lender or fund needs priced quantities, that belongs to a separately appointed cost consultant. KG Nordic Advisory does not act as a quantity surveyor; where one is required, we define the brief and integrate the result into the report.

What a Technical Due Diligence Report in Greece Does Not Include

Legal title is the first exclusion. Ownership, encumbrances, inheritance and boundary questions, and the legal consequences of any permit irregularity, belong to the buyer’s Greek lawyer; the technical report flags what it sees on site and passes it across. Valuation is the second. A TDD report states condition and cost exposure, not what the property is worth, which is the job of an independent valuer.

Structural engineering calculations are the third. The report records visible indicators such as cracking, deflection, exposed reinforcement or altered load-bearing walls, and recommends a structural assessment where they justify one. Capacity calculations, seismic assessment and any formal certification are carried out by a licensed civil or structural engineer. Also excluded unless specifically scoped: destructive opening-up, laboratory analysis, pressure testing of services and the regularization filing for any unpermitted work. Law 4495/2017 is the framework usually referenced for that regularization, but confirm the current position for a specific property with your legal advisor before relying on it.

BEFORE YOU COMMIT TO A PROPERTY IN GREECE

Send the listing, floor plans, permit documents or agent material before signing anything.

We perform remote asset reviews for buyers and investors evaluating properties in Greece.

This early-stage review identifies: gaps in the permit and technical documentation, visible inconsistencies between the approved drawings and the marketed property, condition indicators that justify a full site review, which specialist inputs the asset is likely to need, and whether the scope points to a property inspection or full technical due diligence.

The review is independent, English-language and delivered directly to the buyer.

Submit the property details here: kgnordic.com/contact

Timing and Turnaround for a TDD Report

The timetable is set at scoping rather than quoted blind, because three things drive it: the scale of the asset, how quickly the permit file and technical documents can be obtained, and whether specialist inputs are needed. The document side is usually the critical path, since retrieving a full permit file from the local building service can take longer than the site visit itself. Request it the day the mandate is signed. A property inspection, the narrower instrument for a single residential asset, starts from €5,000. A TDD mandate is quoted as a fixed fee once the documents and scope are known.

Commission the report while the price is still open. A report that arrives after the deposit is paid documents the problems. A report that arrives before it moves them to the seller’s side of the table.

Acquiring Property in Greece?

Before contracts are signed, we review: the permit file and approved drawings against the building on site, structural and envelope condition, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, documentation gaps, and the indicative capital the asset will need over your holding period.

For private buyers, investors and family offices acquiring property in Greece, we provide independent technical due diligence and property inspections, reported in the nine-section structure above. Every report is in English and delivered directly to the buyer.

Submit the asset location and acquisition details here: kgnordic.com/contact

Frequently Asked Questions

What is included in a technical due diligence report for a Greek property?

A decision-grade TDD report typically contains nine sections: an executive decision summary, the asset and agreed scope, the documents reviewed, discipline-by-discipline findings with photographs, a material risk and action register, immediate, near-term and medium-term priorities, indicative CapEx observations where scoped, recommended specialist investigations, and the limitations of the review. The findings cover visible structure, envelope, building systems and a comparison of the approved drawings with the building on site.

Does a technical due diligence report include a valuation or a legal title check?

No. Legal title, encumbrances and the legal consequences of any permit irregularity remain with the buyer’s Greek lawyer, and market value comes from an independent valuer. The technical report flags anything it observes on site that the lawyer should follow up, such as an occupation line or an addition that does not match the approved drawings.

How are findings prioritized in a TDD report?

Each finding is graded by materiality, meaning whether it could change the decision, the price or the contract terms, and by timing: immediate (before signing or occupation), near term (the first year or two of ownership) or medium term (within the holding period). The report also states whether each finding was directly observed or requires specialist verification.

Is the CapEx figure in a TDD report a cost plan?

No. Indicative CapEx observations give an order of magnitude for repair and replacement over the holding period, which is enough to support a price negotiation and a budget. Where a lender, fund or renovation needs priced quantities, a separately appointed cost consultant prepares a formal cost plan.

How long does a technical due diligence report take in Greece?

The timetable is confirmed after initial scoping and document review, because it depends on the scale of the asset, access, specialist inputs and how quickly the permit file can be obtained from the local building service. Request documents the day the mandate is signed and commission the report while the price is still open. A property inspection, the narrower scope for a single residential asset, starts from 5,000 euros.