Property valuation report

What is a property valuation report?

A property valuation report (znalecký posudok) is a written opinion on the value of a property. An expert (znalec) prepares it. A bank that lends against a pledged property must have its value assessed with care. Act 90/2016 Z. z. on housing loans requires the lender to arrange a prudent valuation of the pledged property by a valuer under a special regulation (§ 9(3)). A footnote of the act names Act 382/2004 as an example of such a regulation. The expert gives an opinion. The bank sets the loan terms, including when money is released, in the loan agreement.

Under Act 382/2004 Z. z. on experts, translators and interpreters, a written report has a fixed structure. The table below lists its parts.

Part of the report	What it holds
Title page	Identity of the expert and the client, the file or order number, the label "znalecký posudok" and a serial number
Introduction	The task, the purpose and the subject of the examination, and the documents the expert relied on
Opinion (posudok)	Description of the property, the facts considered and the method used to answer the client's questions
Conclusion (záver)	The client's questions, quoted, with short answers
Annexes and expert clause	Material needed to check the work, and the closing expert clause (znalecká doložka)

Who can prepare the report for a bank?

Under Act 382/2004, an expert is a person entered in the list that the Ministry of Justice keeps (§ 2(1), § 4(1)). A court or another public authority may also appoint a person who is not on the list. It may do so only when no listed person covers the field, or when a listed person cannot do the task (§ 15(1)). Such a person may work only for that court or authority (§ 2(5)). A listed expert may work for a court, an authority, a person or a company, and so for a bank (§ 2(4)). The act does not say which valuer a bank must choose. The bank's own valuer rules decide that, within the duty in § 9(3) of Act 90/2016.

For a client that is not a court or authority, the expert and the client may agree the fee by contract. If they agree nothing, the tariff fee applies (§ 3(1)). The expert may ask for a reasonable advance payment (§ 2(8)).

Question	Ordered by a court or authority	Ordered by a bank or private client
Who may act	A listed expert, or an unlisted person the court or authority appoints under § 15	A listed expert
Fee basis	No contract fee under § 3(1)	Agreed by contract, or the tariff if nothing is agreed
Form of the report	Set by the court or authority	Agreed with the client, following the structure above

How does a valuation gate staged drawdown on a house under construction?

A construction loan is paid out in stages rather than in one sum. A bank may ask for a valuation when it takes the plot as security. It may ask for another when it wants to confirm the value of the work finished so far. This is general practice, and each bank sets its own rule. A report values what exists on the day of inspection. A report during construction describes the unfinished house at that point, and its figure changes with progress.

Act 90/2016 requires the loan contract to state the conditions that govern drawdown (§ 13(4)(f)). If the bank wants a new report at a stage, that condition belongs there. Read the schedule before you plan the build, because a missing report can hold back the next payment. Neither the Building Act nor Act 382/2004 sets drawdown conditions. See staged loan drawdown.

How does the Building Act affect a valuation of a house under construction?

Since 1 April 2025 the building process runs under Act 25/2025 Z. z., the Building Act (Stavebný zákon). The act governs whether a structure may be used. It does not set the value of anything. Under its section 9, paragraph 3, the site manager issues a closing statement (záverečné stanovisko stavbyvedúceho). It confirms that the finished structure matches the verified project. It is the basis for final inspection (kolaudácia).

Under section 66, paragraph 1, final inspection is not required for structures that are only notified, or for alterations, unless the use changes. Under section 67 the proof of final inspection is an occupancy certificate (kolaudačné osvedčenie). It certifies that the structure is technically fit for its designed purpose. A valuation report does not replace it. A bank can value a house before final inspection. The expert then values a structure that the building office has not yet approved for use. The valuation says what the structure is worth, not whether it is ready to be occupied.

Which old Slovak terms map to the current ones?

People still search for the terms of the 1976 act, and older loan documents use them too. Where other regulations use an old term, section 84, paragraph 11 of Act 25/2025 reads it as the new term. The table gives three common pairs.

Term before 1 April 2025	Term under Act 25/2025	Slovak name now
Territorial proceedings (územné konanie)	Building intent proceedings	konanie o stavebnom zámere
Building proceedings (stavebné konanie)	Project verification	overenie projektu stavby
Final inspection proceedings (kolaudačné konanie)	Final inspection	kolaudácia

The mapping gives equivalent names only. It does not say that the old and new steps are identical. The act has no step called a building permit for new cases.

How does a valuation differ from a loan-to-value ratio?

A valuation is an expert's opinion of what a property is worth. A loan-to-value ratio is a calculation: the loan divided by the value of the pledged property (§ 9(2) of Act 90/2016). The act requires a lender to set, follow and review a limit for this ratio (§ 9(1)). The valuation is one source of the value in that division, but the two answer different questions.

Feature	Property valuation report	Loan-to-value ratio
What it is	A written expert opinion	A ratio between two figures
Who produces it	A listed expert	Calculated by the lender from the loan and a value
What it rests on	Inspection, documents and the method stated in the report	The value entered into the division