People who come to a notary to sell an apartment are usually surprised twice. First that a valuation is needed at all, when the price has already been agreed. Then that the report they paid for is refused.
Both surprises come from the same thing: a valuation for a notary is about tax, not about price.
Why the notary needs a report
A notary does not negotiate and does not judge whether the deal is a good one. The notary calculates tax and state duty, and the basis for that calculation comes from the valuation report, not from the contract.
If the contract price were the basis, the parties would write any figure they liked. So the law requires an independent valuation, and the notary is obliged to see it.
Why a report may be refused
The most common reason is a single one: the report is not registered in the state property fund database. The document may be correct in substance, stamped and signed, but without a number in the database it does not exist as far as the notary is concerned.
The second reason is validity. A report lasts six months from the date of valuation, and if the deal slips, the valuation has to be ordered again.
The third is rarer: the valuation was done by someone not entitled to do it. The appraiser must be certified and listed in the state register, and it is that number the notary checks.
What it costs in 2026
Indicative figures for Odesa: an apartment from 1800 hryvnia, a house from 2200, a land plot from 1800, commercial property from 2500. A same-day valuation costs more, with a surcharge of roughly half the fee.
A standard valuation takes one or two working days from the point where documents are in hand and the inspection is done. The price depends on floor area, location and the type of report, so the exact figure is quoted once the property is known.
What the owner needs to provide
Proof of ownership, the technical passport, passport and tax number. For an inheritance, also the death certificate and the date the valuation must reflect. For a house, the land documents with the cadastral number.
The inspection takes up to half an hour. The appraiser photographs the whole apartment: general view, rooms, bathroom, utilities. Those photographs then sit in the report as evidence of condition.
Why the figure will not be the one you expected
An appraiser works to a methodology based on completed deals, and those reflect the market with a delay. In a rising market the valuation usually lands below the market; in a quiet one it can land above.
Checking yourself before the conversation is simple: take the floor area and multiply by the average price per square metre in your district. A difference within a quarter is normal; a larger one is reason to ask which properties were used for comparison.
In short
The notary needs a database number, not a piece of paper. The report lasts six months. For an apartment in Odesa the cost starts at one thousand eight hundred hryvnia and takes one to two days. The figure in the report almost never equals the price of the deal, and that is normal: they are calculated differently and serve different purposes.
We will shortlist options for your budget and guide the deal from the first viewing to signing.
