Renovating After Buying a Flat: What to Finish Before Moving In

After buying a second-hand flat almost everyone falls into the same trap: the moving-in date is already fixed (the tenancy is ending, the old flat has been sold), but there is no renovation plan yet. The apartment renovation is then dictated by the calendar, not by the condition of the flat. That is how you end up moving in with no kitchen, a temporary tap in the bathroom, and the electrics "to be done later".

Yet an empty, freshly bought flat is the best moment for a renovation. It will never again be this easy to demolish, chase walls and do dusty work: without furniture, family and daily life.

Key takeaways

• The period before moving in is the cheapest and fastest window for an apartment renovation: in an empty flat every job is more efficient.
• What is in the walls and the floor (electrics, water, heating, subfloor) has to be put right before moving in, because later it can only be done by breaking things open.
• The survey is best done before the sale contract or immediately after it, so that the budget can be planned together with the moving date.
• The 3% Otthon Start loan (Hungary's state-subsidised home loan) is for buying and building, not for renovation; a separate source has to be planned for the renovation.
• Some of the finishes (kitchen units, fitted wardrobes, garden, decoration) can be completed after moving in as well.

Before you buy: what to check in the flat

The best apartment renovation starts before the purchase. A professional walk-through at the second viewing can save a great deal of money, or give you bargaining power. A few things a layperson can check too:

• Electrics: is there a distribution board with circuit breakers, or still fuse wire? How many circuits are there? Are the sockets two-pin or earthed (three-wire)?
• Water and waste: what kind of pipe is under the basin and behind the toilet? Rusty steel, brass or plastic?
• Heating: an individual gas boiler, district heating, a combi boiler or gas convector heaters? When was the boiler last serviced?
• Damp: mould in the corners, on the bathroom ceiling, next to the windows? This can be a ventilation problem or a structural one.
• Floor: does the parquet creak, undulate or move? Under the parquet there is often slag fill or an aged subfloor.
• Windows and doors: do they close properly, is there condensation at the edge of the glass?

If the purchase price is still open to negotiation, a contractor's condition survey and an approximate cost estimate can be a strong argument. If the contract is already signed, the survey is the first thing to do after the handover of the keys.

The first steps after the handover of the keys

1. Meter readings and utilities. Report the meter readings and have the utility contracts transferred to your name. If the electricity or the gas is switched off, the time needed to reconnect it counts in the schedule too.
2. Site survey. Electrics, plumbing and heating, subfloor, walls, windows and doors: this is the basis of the cost estimate.
3. Notifying the building manager (közös képviselő). In an apartment building this is not a formality: riser, load-bearing wall, facade, skip, hours for noisy work.
4. Decisions based on the survey. What should be done before moving in, what can wait? Full or partial renovation? (We went through this in detail in our article "Full or partial renovation?".)
5. Ordering items with a production lead time. Kitchen units, interior doors, bespoke wardrobes, windows: these can mean a lead time of as much as 4–8 weeks.
6. A contract with a fixed deadline. The moving-in date should be in the schedule, not just in our heads.

What should be finished before moving in, and what can wait?

What we do in a week before moving in is a month of inconvenience and double cleaning after moving in.

How to schedule it around the move

The most common mistake is to count the renovation backwards from the moving-in day and to fit the time needed to the time wanted. The order should be the reverse: the survey and the cost estimate show how much time is needed, and the move or the extension of the tenancy is fitted to that.

Indicative time requirements for an average Budapest flat:

• Refresh (painting, flooring, minor repairs): 2–4 weeks.
• Partial renovation (bathroom + kitchen + painting): 4–8 weeks.
• Full apartment renovation: 6–10 weeks in a panel flat, 10–12 weeks in a brick-built flat, 12–16 weeks in a period flat.

Add 2–4 weeks of preparation: survey, cost estimate, decisions, buying materials. If there is less time than this between the handover of the keys and the planned move, it is worth allowing for a short extension of the tenancy; this is almost always cheaper than moving into a half-finished flat.

Financing in 2026: what to expect

The cost of the renovation should be taken into account when planning the finances of the purchase, because a home loan typically covers the purchase price, not the renovation.

• Otthon Start (fixed 3%): is for buying and building a home and cannot be used for renovation. The Ministry of Finance is reviewing changes to the programme's conditions in autumn 2026; it is worth checking the current rules with the bank.
• Babaváró loan (the state-backed loan for young couples): can also be spent on renovation, subject to its conditions.
• Home loan for renovation purposes, green home loan: market interest rate, secured on the property; for energy upgrades some banks offer a discount.
• Personal loan: faster, unsecured, but typically more expensive.

The subsidy environment is changing quickly in 2026, so the specific options should always be checked with the bank or a financial adviser. What stays constant: the itemised cost estimate is a basic document both for the loan assessment and for your own planning.

Common mistakes when renovating after a purchase

1. Renovating only the "pretty" parts. A new kitchen on the old electrical wiring: the fuse trips the first time you cook on the induction hob.
2. Asking for too short a deadline. Haste slips on the drying times, and the result shows in cracking grout and buckling parquet.
3. No contingency. In an old flat the demolition always brings surprises. It is worth planning a 10–15% contingency on top of the cost estimate.
4. Deciding on the kitchen after moving in. Because of the production lead time of the kitchen units, the flat is left without a sink for weeks.
5. Organising the trades separately. The electrician waits for the tiler, the tiler for the plumber, and the deadline is tied to the move.

With TeleHome: from survey to handover

In the full apartment renovation of freshly bought flats, our aim is that the moving-in day should not be a compromise. After the survey you receive an itemised cost estimate and a schedule that is aligned with the moving date. The trades are coordinated by one project manager, and you can follow progress with photos on the client portal, even while you are still living in the rented flat. Request a survey, even before the sale contract.

Frequently asked questions

What is worth renovating in a second-hand flat before moving in?

Everything that runs in the walls and the floor: electrical wiring, water, waste and heating pipes, subfloor. In addition the bathroom, the painting and the interior doors. The kitchen, the fitted furniture and the decorative lighting can be done after moving in as well.

How much time is needed for the renovation after buying a flat?

2–4 weeks for a refresh, 4–8 weeks for a partial renovation, 6–16 weeks for a full apartment renovation depending on the type of flat, plus 2–4 weeks of preparation.

Can the Otthon Start loan be used for apartment renovation?

Under the programme's current rules, no: the fixed 3% loan is for buying and building. For renovation other sources can be used, for example a Babaváró loan, a home loan for renovation purposes or a personal loan. The conditions should be checked with the bank.

Is it worth requesting a survey before buying the flat?

Yes. A professional walk-through shows the hidden defects and the scale of the renovation, which helps both in the price negotiation and in the financial planning.

Related articles: Renovating a flat in an apartment building · Increasing property value with renovation · Renovating a panel flat

Source for the financing section: Money.hu – Apartment renovation 2026: subsidies and loans (updated 1 July 2026) · nool.hu – Otthon Start change (15 September 2026)