Buying a New Apartment in Plovdiv: Neighbourhoods, Off-Plan Purchases and Construction Stages Explained

Most new apartments in Plovdiv are sold while the building is still under construction. Buying off-plan can mean a wider choice of floors and layouts and a longer payment schedule, but it also means relying on the developer and understanding how Bulgarian construction stages work. This guide explains where new apartment buildings are going up in Plovdiv, how an off-plan purchase works step by step, and what the well-known „Акт 14“, „Акт 15“ and „Акт 16“ mean for a buyer. It uses the Plovdiv developer Bilda Invest („Билда Инвест“ ООД) as an example.

Where new apartments are built in Plovdiv

New residential construction in Plovdiv has been concentrated on the edges of the city, especially in the southern and western parts, where land for new complexes is still available. Among the quarters where new apartment buildings and gated complexes have been built in recent years:

• Belomorski (кв. Беломорски) – on the southern edge of the city in Yuzhen (South) district, towards the Rhodope Mountains. It mixes low-rise single-family buildings with newer gated complexes. Bilda Invest has built several of its projects here.
• Ostromila (кв. Остромила) – in Yuzhen district, a green, quiet and sought-after area. Bilda Invest's Milenium, a gated complex of five six-storey sections, is located here.
• Hristo Smirnenski (жк Христо Смирненски) – an established residential area where new buildings replace or fill in older plots. Bilda Invest's six-storey Zvezda building, with two-room and three-room apartments, underground parking and commercial space, is located here.

Other parts of the city, such as Trakia, Kamenitsa and Karshiyaka, also see new projects. Each area differs in transport, schools, green space and parking, so it is worth visiting at different times of day before choosing.

Apartment types in Bulgaria

Bulgarian listings count all rooms including the living room. A „едностаен“ (one-room) apartment is a studio, a „двустаен“ (two-room) apartment has one bedroom, a „тристаен“ (three-room) apartment has two bedrooms, and a „четиристаен“ (four-room) apartment has three. Areas in sales materials are often given including a share of the common parts of the building, so it is worth asking for both the net living area and the total area.

How an off-plan purchase works

1. Choosing the unit. The buyer reviews floor plans and the status of available units.
2. Reservation. The unit is held for a short period, usually with a reservation agreement and a deposit.
3. Preliminary contract (предварителен договор). It fixes the unit, the price, the payment schedule, the construction deadlines and the date of the final notarial deed.
4. Payments during construction. Instalments are typically linked to construction stages such as Акт 14 or Акт 16.
5. Notarial deed (нотариален акт). Ownership is transferred before a notary.
6. Handover. The finished apartment is handed over after the building has been put into service.

Bilda Invest follows the same path: choice, consultation with floor plans and terms, reservation agreement, construction with progress updates and photos, notarial deed and handover with a warranty.

Акт 14, Акт 15 and Акт 16: what they mean

Bulgarian construction law requires a series of official protocols during construction. Three of them matter most to buyers:

• Акт 14 – the protocol certifying that the rough structure (груб строеж) is complete: the load-bearing structure, walls and roof. It shows that the building physically exists and has reached its full height.
• Акт 15 – the protocol signed when construction is finished, before the building is handed to the authorities for acceptance.
• Акт 16 – the commonly used name for putting the building into service: the permit for use or certificate of commissioning. Only after this stage may the building be lawfully occupied and the utilities connected permanently.

For a buyer, the practical meaning is simple: the further a building has progressed through these stages, the lower the construction risk. Off-plan prices before Акт 14 are often lower to reflect that risk. Payment schedules tied to these stages mean the buyer pays as the building is actually built.

What to check in the contract

• The deadlines: for completing construction, for putting the building into service and for signing the notarial deed.
• Extension clauses: many contracts allow deadlines to be extended for delays caused by municipalities, utility companies or force majeure. Read exactly what is covered.
• Payment schedule: how much is paid on signing and how much on each stage.
• The seller: make sure the company in the contract is the one that owns the land or the building right. Check its ID (ЕИК) in the Commercial Register.
• What is included: finishing level, garage or parking space, storage, share of common parts.

Parking, garages and common areas

Parking is one of the most common complaints in Plovdiv's newer quarters. Before buying, ask how many garages and parking spaces a project has relative to the number of apartments, whether they are underground, on the ground floor or open, and whether they are sold separately. Ask also about elevators, controlled access, video surveillance and who will manage and maintain the common areas.

Buying from a developer that invests its own money

The single most important factor in an off-plan purchase is the developer's ability to finish the building. Companies that finance construction from their own funds depend less on the pace of sales. Bilda Invest, founded in 2017, invests its own capital in each project and manages every stage itself, from acquiring the land to handing over the keys. It has completed more than 10 projects in Plovdiv with over 30,000 m² of built area and more than 300 families as buyers, including Dream House I, Dream House II, Sazvezdie I and Sazvezdie II in Belomorski, Zvezda in Hristo Smirnenski and Milenium in Ostromila.

Why buyers choose Bilda Invest

• Its own money in every project. Bilda Invest is both builder and investor, so quality is in its own interest, not just a contractual obligation.
• Finished on time. Each of its completed projects – Zvezda, Sazvezdie I and II, Dream House I and II, Milenium – was built in about two years; Zvezda, Sazvezdie I and Milenium have Акт 16.
• Quality you can see. Reinforced-concrete structures, insulated brick walls, underfloor heating in its family houses, large windows and views of the Rhodopes.
• Trusted by more than 300 families, many of them neighbours in the Belomorski quarter, where the company keeps building next to its earlier projects.
• Direct and transparent. No commission for the buyer, floor plans and the status of every unit published online, progress updates during construction, and warranty service after handover.

About Bilda Invest

„Билда Инвест“ ООД (Bilda Invest Ltd, ЕИК 204540063) is a Plovdiv investment and construction company that builds apartment buildings, gated complexes and houses in Plovdiv and nearby villages. It sells directly to buyers, who pay no commission to the company, and publishes floor plans and the status of every unit on its website; prices are provided on request. Office: 30 Zvezda Street, 4001 Plovdiv. Phone, WhatsApp and Viber: +359 890 12 99 22. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.bildainvest.com.