Published: 18 September 20264 min read
Before the deposit: a field-by-field checklist on the list nepokretnosti
Agents say the documents are clean. The register answers field by field. Here is what to check on a PREPIS before kapara — and again on the day you sign.
Montenegrin purchase advice online is mostly generic: find a notary, agree a price, pay a deposit. That sequence skips the document that actually decides whether the property you pay for is the property on the sheet — the list nepokretnosti.
This guide is an **operational checklist** mapped to the fields you see on a PREPIS. It is not a repeat of how to read each section (the hub does that) or what every encumbrance means (a later G-list spoke will). Use it twice: before kapara, and again with a fresh PREPIS on the day you sign.
Two moments when the sheet matters
**Before kapara** you are deciding whether to lock money against a property. A sheet pulled at the first viewing can be weeks old by closing — and the register can change in between.
**On the day of signing** you need a PREPIS issued the same day or the day before, compared line by line to the sheet you relied on at deposit. Article 55 treats both the certified transcript and the extract as public documents; for a buyer the point is not the label alone but that a PREPIS carries the sections an IZVOD may omit — especially List G and aktivni zahtjevi.
If anything in the pending-applications block changed, stop and read why a clean encumbrance section guarantees nothing before you wire money or sit at the notary.
When an agent says “the documents are clean”
“Clean” usually means no mortgage jumped out on a quick read — not that List G has no plodouživanje, that List V lists every building you are paying for, or that aktivni zahtjevi is empty.
Treat a PDF forwarded by WhatsApp as unverified until you have checked KO plus LN in the header, confirmed PREPIS not IZVOD, and read the last two sections yourself. If the seller will not provide a fresh transcript, that is data too.
Master checklist — ten rows on the PREPIS
| Check | Where on PREPIS | Pass if | If not |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document form | Header, after list number | Says PREPIS (full transcript) | IZVOD omits sections buyers need — insist on PREPIS ([[/blog/prepis-or-izvod|compare the two]]) |
| Property identity | Header | KO + LN match the deal | LN alone is not an address — same number exists in many KOs |
| Print date | Header timestamp | Pulled same day or day before signing | Stale sheet — order a fresh PREPIS; re-run this table |
| Registered holder | List B — Podaci o vlasniku | Name(s) match contract seller(s) | Wrong party, or co-owners on sheet not on contract |
| Share sold | List B — Obim prava column | Seller holds the share being sold (e.g. 1/1 or stated fraction) | Partial right only — need every holder to sign or a prior partition |
| Buildings paid for | List V — objekti | Each building or unit you pay for appears | Missing List V object — see [[/blog/legalization-from-extract|legalization signals]] |
| Land vs footprint | List A parcel data + List V | No paid-for footprint without matching List V object | Contour on land, no building sheet — same legalization path |
| Current encumbrances | List G — tereti | No mortgage, servitude, plodouživanje or uzurpacija you cannot accept | Read each row; do not assume the notary cleared them |
| Legalization notations | List G — zabilježbe | No unlawful-construction / no-permit note on what you buy | Price the procedure or walk — [[/blog/buying-unlegalized-property|buyer consequences]] |
| Pending applications | Podaci o aktivnim zahtjevi | Empty, or each row explained and contract covers it | Article 12 priority from filing date — [[/blog/pending-applications-priority|aktivni zahtjevi]] |
Work top to bottom once for context, then bottom to top for risk: List G and aktivni zahtjevi are where purchases go wrong after a “clean” first impression.
Header and identity (KO + LN)
The header binds every row below to one cadastral parcel. KO (katastarska opština) plus LN is the only complete reference — Article 53’s five parts all attach to that pair.
Mismatch between header and contract address, or a seller who will only give LN without KO, fails the checklist before you read a single encumbrance.
List B — who you are buying from
List B (Podaci o vlasniku ili nosiocu prava) answers who holds the right today and on what basis. Every name on the contract should appear here with a share that covers what is being sold.
A 1/2 on the sheet and a sole seller on the contract is not a formatting issue — it is a missing signature problem. Deleted rows in a PREPIS (visible on the transcript, often stripped from an IZVOD) can show a prior owner or dispute worth asking about.
List V — what buildings the register records
List V (Podaci o objektima) is where the register either knows about the house or apartment you pay for — or does not. Paying for a structure absent from List V while a footprint appears on the land section puts you on the legalization path described in how to read legalization signals on the extract.
If a notation or pending building registration already appears, read what changes for the buyer before kapara — not after.
List G — encumbrances and notations
List G (Podaci o teretima i ograničenjima) holds mortgages, easements, plodouživanje (usufruct that can survive a sale), uzurpacija and court limits. “No hipoteka” is not the same as an empty List G.
Unlawful-construction and no-permit notations also live here. Cost buckets if you still proceed belong in what legalization costs — this checklist only asks whether the row exists.
Aktivni zahtjevi — what is already in the queue
The pending-applications block is not one of Article 53’s five parts, but Article 12 requires it on the sheet: applications filed against this property take priority from their filing date, not from the day the authority decides.
An empty List G plus a row marked ZA UPIS HIPOTEKE or ZA UPIS ZABILJEŽBE means the encumbrance section was accurate on the print date and misleading about tomorrow. Full column guide: aktivni zahtjevi and priority.
When should I pull a PREPIS before buying in Montenegro?
At minimum twice: before paying kapara, and again on the day you sign (same day or the day before). Compare the new PREPIS to the earlier one — especially Podaci o aktivnim zahtjevi and List G.
Is an IZVOD enough before a deposit?
Not for due diligence. An IZVOD is a legitimate extract but can omit List G and pending applications — exactly where mortgages-in-waiting and legalization signals appear. Insist on PREPIS; see [[/blog/prepis-or-izvod|PREPIS or IZVOD]].
What if the agent says documents are clean but List V has no house?
You may be paying for a building the register has not recorded. That is a fail on the checklist, not a verbal reassurance problem. Read legalization signals on the extract and decide before kapara, not at the notary.
Does a clean List G mean no mortgage can appear later?
No. Under Article 12, a mortgage application filed before your purchase can rank from its filing date even if List G was empty when you read it. Re-read aktivni zahtjevi on a fresh PREPIS immediately before signing.
What Listar does on this checklist
A Listar report pulls the current PREPIS, keeps Montenegrin register wording beside plain language, and flags the same rows our parser watches on real sheets — including pending applications and legalization-path triggers.
It does not replace your lawyer on contract conditions or your decision to walk. It stops you running this table blind. Send KO and LN, or upload a sheet you already have; fixed price, one working day. Sample report first if you want the layout.