We’re a small law firm, assisting Costa Rican and foreigners in their real estate transactions. If you are considering investing in Costa Rica, or have already done so, and are seeking legal expertise, we can assist you, navigate and guide you through the legal steps to make a safe investment, giving you the variables to make an informed decision. Some of our most common services are: setting up corporations, complying with its obligations, carrying out legal due diligence depending on the nature of the investment, purchasing/selling real estate or a business; opening a bank account, and taking care of your personal and business legal needs.

Pacific Coast Law offers the following services:

  • Real Estate Transactions: We assist and walk our clients through the common legal steps for a real estate acquisition including the revision of an Offer to Purchase (OTP) or Letter of Intent (LOI), drafting or reviewing a Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA), carrying out due diligence, drafting guarantee documents such as mortgages and liens, and closing on real estate properties, and carry out post-closing obligations and updating our clients after closing.
  • Estate Planning and Probates: Preparation of wills, probates, as well as analyzing each case to determine what suits the client best.
  • Title transfer of all vehicles: All the necessary legal steps for the sale/purchase of vehicles, plus the placement or removal of liens.
  • Commercial and Corporate Law: All the necessary legal steps for the creation of corporations such as a Sociedad Anónima (S.A.) or a Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada (S.R.L.), transfer of shares, modifications to corporations (bylaws, boards of directors, its domicile, representative passport numbers, etc.). Also, corporation acknowledgement certifications and the establishment/management of associations and trusts.
  • Family Law: Marriages and ceremonies; also divorces for mutual consent.
  • Labor Law: Worker contracts and legal advice on how labor law works in this country.
  • Condominium Law: Analysis of projects and current regulations, including applicable rules for gated and other communities.
  • Environmental Law: Preparation and analysis of potable water supply strategies for construction projects; applications for Water Concessions (surface and groundwater) from the Water Department of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE – Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía); advice on legal environmental compliance for wastewater management, for construction projects such as single family homes; preparation of Preliminary Environmental Assessments (Due Diligence) prior to the acquisition of properties and/or projects in order to identify the legal environmental requirements according to applicable regulations and also identify any environmental hazards; advice on fulfilling requirements regarding protected areas and maritime zones; legal support in the environmental impact assessment process done by SETENA (La Secretaría Técnica Nacional Ambiental); advice on activities and projects regarding renewable energy and waste management.
  • Banking and Finances: We provide the required documentation for opening a bank account.
  • Judicial processes: Adverse possession cases – “Información posesoria” – and property line disputes.
  • Notary Services: Authentication of documents, signatures and certifications.
  • Others: construction contracts, rental agreements, affidavits, certifications, passport certifications, power of attorney (POA) documents, zoning letters and other documents related to municipality. Creation of easements for: water, power and environmental purposes.

Contact us for more information.

This is what you can expect; allow us to walk you through the process to invest in real estate in Costa Rica

  1. Meet and greet. We meet you on line or in person, and talk about your needs and wants, answer your questions, provide any clarification on the process, etc.
  2. We carry out a preliminary title search of the property of your interest, as courtesy, and advise you on the suatable due diligence to perform.
  3. Upon revision of the OTP or LOI, we start drafting or reviewing the Sales Purchase Agreement to represent our clients’ interests.
  4. Due Diligence:

  • 4.1. Legal Work Prior to Closing:
    • Follow up that the deposit is made in the Escrow Company chosen by client.
    • Revision of the title and its history: liens, easements and encumbrances.
    • Revision of the access: Right of way easement.
    • Request and review of a zoning letter.
    • Revision of the environmental setbacks nearby the home site (s) of interest, and request of a setback from National Institute of Housing and Urban Development “INVU”.
    • Legal availability of physical and legal water. A water concession or a water account provided by a public entity with the legal capacity to administer water to third parties.
    • Check for a water concession status, and transfer it after closing.
    • Request, review and report about Legal availability of electricity or an electrical account/meter.
    • Request, review and report about any tax related to the property such as property and luxury tax. 
    • Request, review and report about any building permit.
    • Request, review and report about any floor plans or blueprints.
    • Request, review and report about any Property obligations declaration, and follow up with the municipality regarding fines.
    • Request, and report about any inventory.
    • Request, and report about any business license or permits.
  • 4.2. Technical Due Diligence:
    • Resurvey the property to verify the lines, size, or check with the topographer regarding the borders of the property, to ensure that it is not overlapping or encroaching, as well as to identified any bodies of water.
    • Home inspection.
    • Soil tests.
  • 4.3. A Due Diligence report: A comprehensive report documenting the certifications and respective legal documents with a gist in English.

5. Closing Statement: A statement that reflects the amount to be paid and disbursement upon closing. Some of those payments are to pay the seller, surveyor, home inspector, escrow agent, the seller’s lawyer, the buyer’s loyal, brokers, HOAs, mortgage holder and a prorated payments for the Payments from Escrow:

  1. Mortgage holders.
    1. Seller.
    1. Transfer fees and notary fees.
    1. Brokers.
    1. Insurance.
    1. Land taxes.
    1. Other vendors or service providers that offered a related service. 

6. Closing: The closing deed is signed to convey the title between the parties or their respective powers of attorney in front of a Costa Rican Lawyer/ Notary Public in Costa Rica.

7. Post-Closing:

  1. Upon the inscription of the transfer of the title in the Public Registry, an email is sent to the new owner.
  2. We list the utility account numbers for the client to continue paying them. They were also indicated in the Due Diligence Report.
  3. The utility services are transferred in the respective entities.
  4. The property declaration that was submitted to the local municipality is sent to the client.
  5. If there is another service such as insurance, internet, etc, that has to be transferred, it is done and documented.
  6. The water concessions transferred, if applicable. 

8. Sellers – Welcome

  • We offer the same services in reverse to sellers of property, advising them from start through to the successful sale of the asset. 

Contact us for more information.