Topic
Checking for contaminated land
In almost every legal system, the duty to clean up a contaminated site falls on whoever buys it later, not only on whoever caused the contamination.
Where suspected sites are recorded
There is a register for this, and it is usually open to the public. Checking it costs little and answers the question no seller likes to be asked.
What raises suspicion
The property's earlier use. A petrol station, a dry cleaner, a workshop, fill material of unknown origin, a landfill nearby. Even an old heating-oil tank in the garden is enough.
Who pays
This is where it gets expensive: the authority goes after whoever it can actually reach, and that is the current owner. Whether that owner can later recover the cost from whoever caused the contamination is a separate matter, and one that can take years.
What that means for the price
A confirmed suspicion makes a property hard to finance and hard to sell. Together, those two effects push the value down further than the cleanup cost alone.
The legal position in Germany
Where contaminated sites are recorded
Each federal state (Bundesland) keeps a register of contaminated sites and suspected contaminated areas (Altlasten- und Verdachtsflächenkataster); the responsible soil protection authority (Bodenschutzbehörde) provides information from it.
Who is liable
Alongside whoever caused the contamination, the property owner is also liable for remediation as the person responsible for the state of the property (Zustandsstörer), at their own cost. Liability is generally capped at the property's market value, but that cap falls away if the owner knew about the contamination at the time of purchase. Buying the property can therefore make the buyer a potential cost-bearer.
Basis: Federal Soil Protection Act (Bundes-Bodenschutzgesetz, BBodSchG); the owner is liable as the person responsible for the state of the property under section 4(3).. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-18.
The legal position in Austria
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environment Agency) maintains the Verdachtsflächenkataster (register of suspected contaminated sites) and the Altlastenatlas (atlas of contaminated sites); the Länder (federal provinces) report the areas.
Who is liable
Primarily the polluter is liable. The property owner and legal successor may be held liable on a subsidiary basis if they consented to or tolerated the hazardous facilities, knew of the danger, or should have known of it with due diligence. A purchaser who knowingly acquires a Verdachtsfläche (suspected contaminated site) or an Altlast (legacy contaminated site) cannot rely on any Haftungsprivileg (liability privilege).
Basis: Altlastensanierungsgesetz (ALSAG) for identification and the register; the subsidiary liability of the owner and legal successor under § 31 Abs. 4 Wasserrechtsgesetz.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
The legal position in Switzerland
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The cantons maintain a publicly accessible Kataster der belasteten Standorte (KbS, register of contaminated sites); approximately 38,000 sites are recorded.
Who is liable
The Verursacherprinzip (polluter-pays principle) applies: the party who caused the contamination is primarily liable. If the polluter cannot be identified or is insolvent, the site operator, meaning the landowner, may be held liable for a proportionate share of the costs. The purchaser should review the Kataster der belasteten Standorte (KbS) entry before purchase.
Basis: Umweltschutzgesetz (USG) and Altlasten-Verordnung; the Verursacherprinzip (polluter-pays principle) and the subsidiaere Kostenpflicht (subsidiary cost liability) of the site operator under Art. 32d.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
The legal position in 30 further countries
This theme also has a legal basis on record for these countries, each with its statute and verification date. Expand your country.
Belgium
Where contaminated sites are recorded
In Flanders, OVAM holds the soil data; a bodemattest (soil certificate) from OVAM is mandatory upon sale. Wallonia and Brussels have their own decrees.
Who is liable
The remediation obligation lies with the saneringsplichtige (remediation obligor). What is decisive for the buyer: before the compromis (preliminary sale agreement), the seller must request a bodemattest (soil certificate) from OVAM and communicate it to the buyer; if this is omitted, the buyer can have the sale declared void.
Basis: Bodemdecreet (Flanders, OVAM); the bodemattest (soil certificate) is mandatory upon sale, without it the buyer can assert nullity.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Bulgaria
Where contaminated sites are recorded
Registers of contaminated sites are maintained. The Ministry of Environment and the Regional Inspectorates (RIOSV) provide information.
Who is liable
The polluter-pays principle applies. The polluter (operator) is liable for the prevention and remediation of soil and water damage, and a financial mechanism secures the operator's liability. Broad liability of the mere owner or purchaser is not established. The purchaser should review previous uses.
Basis: Zakon za otgovornostta za predotvratyavane i otstranyavane na ekologichni shteti (Law on Liability for Prevention and Remediation of Environmental Damage, transposing EU Directive 2004/35/EG); polluter-pays principle. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Denmark
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The five regions map properties at knowledge level 1 (V1, suspected) and knowledge level 2 (V2, confirmed contamination).
Who is liable
The polluter-pays principle applies. The owner or buyer is not, as a rule, liable for the cleanup; the region often bears it, though only according to an environmental priority ranking that can mean a long wait. Anyone buying a property mapped as V1 or V2 has to reckon with restrictions on use and building, and a lower value. An unknowing buyer can apply under the Værditabsordning (value-loss scheme) to have the cleanup moved forward, against a co-payment capped at 40,000 kroner, but only if the property was already used as a year-round home on 18 November 1992 and still is today.
Basis: The Contaminated Soil Act (Jordforureningsloven); the regions map sites as V1 and V2 and bear the cost of cleanup, and the polluter-pays principle applies; the same act sets out the Værditabsordning, which lets an unknowing buyer of a long-standing residential property apply for the cleanup to be brought forward.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Estonia
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The Environmental Board (Keskkonnaamet) records environmental damage and contaminated sites.
Who is liable
The polluter pays principle (saastaja maksab) applies: the polluter must carry out remediation in coordination with the Environmental Board or bear the costs. Broad liability of the mere owner or purchaser is not established. The purchaser should review prior uses.
Basis: Keskkonnavastutuse seadus (Environmental Liability Act); the polluter pays principle (saastaja maksab) for soil damage. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Finland
Where contaminated sites are recorded
Soil condition data are maintained in authority registers; information is available from the ELY Centre and the municipality.
Who is liable
The aiheuttaja (polluter) is primarily liable regardless of fault. If he cannot be held liable, the duty to clean up passes to the haltija (property holder), but only if the contamination occurred with his consent, or if he knew or should have known of it upon acquisition. The purchaser is therefore secondarily liable where he had knowledge or was negligently unaware.
Basis: Ympäristönsuojelulaki; the polluter is primarily liable, and the haltija (property holder) is secondarily liable if aware of the contamination upon acquisition.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
France
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The State maintains the databases BASOL (proven contamination), BASIAS (former potentially polluting activities), and the secteurs d'information sur les sols (SIS, soil information sectors), all accessible via georisques.gouv.fr.
Who is liable
The last operator (dernier exploitant) of the contaminating facility bears primary liability. In a sale, the seller must disclose any known contamination or any secteur d'information sur les sols (SIS, soil information sector) to the buyer in the État des Risques (mandatory pre-contractual risk disclosure). Failure to do so entitles the buyer to avoid the contract or to demand a reduction in price.
Basis: Code de l'environnement (French Environmental Code); the secteur d'information sur sols (SIS, soil information sector) pursuant to Art. L. 125-6, and the duty to disclose in the État des Risques (mandatory pre-contractual risk disclosure) in the event of a sale.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Greece
Where contaminated sites are recorded
There is no comprehensive contaminated land register. The environmental authority records cases under the environmental liability regime.
Who is liable
The polluter pays principle applies. The operator (φορέας εκμετάλλευσης) of an economic activity that causes soil damage is responsible for prevention and remediation. No liability is documented for a mere owner or purchaser who did not cause the damage. The purchaser should review prior uses.
Basis: The legal basis is Π.Δ. 148/2009 on environmental liability (implementing EU Directive 2004/35/EK) and Law 4042/2012 on waste and environmental law. The polluter pays principle applies, and the operator is liable.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Ireland
Where contaminated sites are recorded
There is NO nationwide contaminated land register as in Austria or Germany. Instead, several separate sources provide information: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) licence register for permitted facilities and landfills, the list of historic landfill sites that each local authority must maintain in its waste management plan, and the EPA mapping services. Anyone who wishes to be certain does not rely on a single register but commissions a site search.
Who is liable
Ireland has NO dedicated statute on liability for historical contamination comparable to the British regime of 1995. Responsibility is instead derived from waste law: under Section 32 Waste Management Act 1996 no person shall hold or deposit waste so as to cause environmental pollution, and the authority may require the holder of the land to remediate. Because the concept attaches to the holding of the land, it can apply to the owner even if another party caused the contamination. Added to this are the environmental liability regulations implementing the EU Directive and claims in nuisance under common law. In short, liability is not clearly defined, and that very lack of clarity makes it a risk.
Basis: Section 32 Waste Management Act 1996 (prohibition on holding and depositing waste in a manner causing environmental pollution, remediation duty of the holder); Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992; European Communities (Environmental Liability) Regulations 2008; supplemented by nuisance under common law. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Iceland
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The Environment Agency Umhverfisstofnun maintains a register of contaminated and potentially contaminated sites, publicly accessible on its website and updated at least every five years (11. gr. Reglugerð um mengaðan jarðveg nr. 1400/2020). In addition, there is a separate survey of historical contaminated sites according to 15 use categories, such as industrial operations, filling stations, landfills or power plants (12. gr.).
Who is liable
The polluter-pays principle applies. The Mengunarvaldur (the party who caused the contamination) is liable under general tort law for damage resulting from the contamination (7. gr. 2. mgr. Lög um hollustuhætti og mengunarvarnir nr. 7/1998). When a licensed operation is closed, the operator must assess the condition of the soil and groundwater and remediate in the event of significant contamination. This obligation attaches to the operator, not automatically to a later buyer. The statutory text does not expressly state anything regarding the liability of a bare owner who did not himself cause the historical contamination, neither in an affirmative nor in an exclusionary manner. Where contaminated land has no identifiable polluter (orphan site), no statutory fallback liability was found. This is a negative finding from the legal research, not a positive statutory exemption of the owner.
Basis: Lög um hollustuhætti og mengunarvarnir nr. 7/1998, 7. gr. 2. mgr. (polluter-pays principle); Reglugerð um mengaðan jarðveg nr. 1400/2020, 11. gr. (public register held by Umhverfisstofnun), 12. gr. (15 use categories), 16. gr. 4. mgr. (operator's remediation obligation upon closure of operations). Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Italy
Where contaminated sites are recorded
Each region keeps the anagrafe dei siti contaminati, the register of contaminated sites.
Who is liable
The polluter is primarily liable (article 242). An innocent owner, one who did not cause the contamination, is not personally liable and cannot be ordered to carry out the cleanup themselves; their only duties are to report the contamination and take preventive measures. If the authority ends up doing the cleanup itself because the polluter cannot be made to act, the cost becomes a real charge on the land (onere reale, article 253), recorded in the certificato di destinazione urbanistica, and the owner's exposure is capped at the property's market value. In practice, buying the property can still mean buying that charge: using or reselling the land afterwards depends on the cleanup cost being settled first.
Basis: Legislative Decree 152/2006 (Part IV, Title V); the cleanup becomes a real charge on the land under article 253 when the authority carries it out itself under article 250, capped at the property's market value.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-18.
Croatia
Where contaminated sites are recorded
Registers of contaminated sites are maintained. The environmental authority provides information.
Who is liable
The polluter pays principle applies: the onečišćivač (polluter) bears the remediation costs. A general liability of the bare owner or purchaser is not broadly established. The purchaser should review prior uses.
Basis: The basis is the Zakon o zaštiti okoliša and the polluter pays principle (onečišćivač plaća) for the remediation of soil contamination.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Latvia
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The environmental authority and the State Environmental Service record contaminated and potentially contaminated sites.
Who is liable
The polluter pays principle (piesārņotājs maksā) applies. On a sale, the obligation to carry out environmental remediation may pass to the new owner by contract; in addition, the owner must inform prospective successors of contaminated or potentially contaminated sites. The buyer should review the contract and the information available.
Basis: Likums Par piesārņojumu; the polluter pays principle (piesārņotājs maksā), on a sale the remediation obligation may pass to the new owner by contract. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Liechtenstein
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The Amt für Umweltschutz (Office for Environmental Protection) maintains a register of contaminated sites, which under Art. 54 Abs. 2 USG must be made publicly accessible. An entry is not made covertly: the holder is heard beforehand and may submit comments and carry out investigations (Art. 5 AltlV).
Who is liable
The polluter-pays principle applies (Art. 2 USG). Where several polluters are involved, the person whose conduct caused the measures bears the costs in the first place. A mere site holder, including a purchaser who did not himself cause the Altlast (legacy contamination), bears no costs if, exercising the required diligence, he could not have known of the contamination (Art. 55 Abs. 2 Satz 3 USG); conversely, he is liable if he knew of the contamination or should have known of it under the required diligence. Because the register is public, consulting it forms part of the required diligence: a buyer who fails to check before purchase will later find it difficult to claim that he could not have known.
Basis: Umweltschutzgesetz (USG), LGBl. 2008 Nr. 199: polluter-pays principle under Art. 2, public register under Art. 54 Abs. 2, cost allocation and holder exception upon exercise of required diligence under Art. 55, state contribution of 30 % under Art. 56 Abs. 1; Altlasten-Verordnung (AltlV), LGBl. 2008 Nr. 369: remediation prerequisite under Art. 1, register procedure under Art. 5. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Lithuania
Where contaminated sites are recorded
Environmental authorities register contaminated sites; the environmental protection authority provides information.
Who is liable
The land owner (žemės savininkas) is responsible for soil protection; where the land is state-owned, this duty falls on the user. Violations of environmental requirements, for example during construction works, give rise to statutory liability. The buyer assumes responsibility for the condition of the soil upon acquiring ownership.
Basis: Aplinkos apsaugos įstatymas (Law on Environmental Protection); the land owner is responsible for soil protection.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Luxembourg
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The Administration de l'environnement operates CASIPO, the cadastre of potentially contaminated sites, containing around 12,000 entries. A draft law on soil protection intends to convert this into an information register imposing a duty to provide information upon transfer of ownership. As long as that law has not entered into force, there is no statutory disclosure obligation on the seller on this basis.
Who is liable
The liable party is the exploitant (operator: any person carrying out or controlling an economic activity), not the mere owner. Only the economic activities listed in Annex III are covered. A purchaser who does not operate such an activity on the acquired property does not become a person obligated to remediate under this regime. This relieves the purchaser, but does not remove the need to examine prior uses, because soil that is worthless or usable only to a limited extent remains an economic problem.
Basis: Loi du 20 avril 2009 relative à la responsabilité environnementale: the scope of application covers the economic activities of Annex III pursuant to Art. 4, the liable party is the exploitant pursuant to Art. 2 Nr. 6, preventive measures within seven days pursuant to Art. 6 Abs. 1, and remediation pursuant to Art. 7 Abs. 1. Soil damage is defined in Art. 2 Nr. 1 Buchst. c.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Malta
Where contaminated sites are recorded
No specific statutory framework or register for soil contamination exists. The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) is the competent authority.
Who is liable
The polluter-pays principle applies. The operator is liable for environmental damage he has caused. The current owner cannot as a rule be held liable for damage he did not cause, nor for historical contamination. The ERA may itself carry out remediation.
Basis: Prevention and Remedying of Environmental Damage Regulations; polluter-pays principle, the current owner is not liable for contamination he did not cause himself, nor for historical contamination.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Netherlands
Where contaminated sites are recorded
Soil condition data can be accessed via the bodemloket (soil information desk). The municipality holds the soil records.
Who is liable
The polluter is in principle responsible for remediation. The owner may, however, be held liable for the prompt remediation of severe contamination even without having caused it, and all the more so if he knew or ought to have known of it. The buyer should clarify the soil condition before purchase.
Basis: Omgevingswet (since 2024, previously the Wet bodembescherming); the owner can be held liable for remediation even if he did not cause the contamination.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Norway
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The Norwegian Environment Agency (Miljødirektoratet) keeps the Grunnforurensning database of known and suspected contaminated sites.
Who is liable
A general duty to investigate and prevent pollution rests on whoever is responsible for it under section 7 of the Pollution Control Act (Forurensningsloven). For building or excavation work specifically, a dedicated regulation puts the cleanup duty on the tiltakshaver, meaning whoever initiates the project, often the owner or the developer. The seller must disclose any known contamination at the time of sale. Anyone planning to build can therefore end up bearing the cost of the cleanup.
Basis: Pollution Control Act (Forurensningsloven), section 7, for the general duty to investigate and prevent pollution; the specific cleanup duty for building and excavation work is set out in its own regulation, the Regulation on Cleanup of Contaminated Ground in Connection with Building and Excavation Work (Forskrift om opprydding i forurenset grunn ved bygge- og gravearbeider); the Grunnforurensning database.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-18.
Poland
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The Regional Director for Environmental Protection maintains the rejestr historycznych zanieczyszczeń powierzchni ziemi (register of historical soil contamination).
Who is liable
The władający powierzchnią ziemi (person exercising actual control over the land surface) must carry out remediation. He avoids liability only if he proves that a former władający or a third party caused the contamination without his knowledge and without his consent. The purchaser becomes responsible in principle as the new władający powierzchnią ziemi.
Basis: Ustawa Prawo ochrony środowiska; the władający (person exercising actual control over the land surface) carries out the remediation pursuant to the register of historical contamination if no other polluter can be established.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Portugal
Where contaminated sites are recorded
There is no nationwide contaminated land register; the Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente (APA) is responsible for environmental liability.
Who is liable
There is no specific soil protection or contaminated land statute imposing owner liability. General environmental liability applies under the polluter-pays principle. The operator (operador) of the economic activity that caused the damage is responsible, not the mere owner. Anyone who does not carry on an economic activity on the property is not liable under this regime, but should examine prior uses.
Basis: Decreto-Lei 147/2008 on environmental liability (transposing EU-Richtlinie 2004/35/EG); polluter-pays principle, the operator (operador) is liable for soil damage.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Romania
Where contaminated sites are recorded
Registers and official data identify contaminated sites. The environmental authority (ANPM) provides information.
Who is liable
The polluter pays principle (poluatorul plătește) applies: the operator of an economic activity that caused soil damage bears the cost of prevention and remediation. Broad liability of the mere owner or buyer is not documented. The buyer should examine prior uses.
Basis: OUG 68/2007 on environmental liability, approved by Legea nr. 19/2008 (transposition of Directive 2004/35/EC). The polluter pays principle applies: the operator is liable.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Sweden
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The länsstyrelse (county administrative board) and the municipalities maintain registers of förorenade områden (potentially contaminated areas).
Who is liable
The verksamhetsutövare (operator) who caused the contamination is primarily liable. If no operator can be identified, the party who acquired the property after 1 January 1999 and knew or should have discovered the contamination is liable. The purchaser is therefore subsidiarily liable in the event of knowledge or negligent lack of knowledge.
Basis: Miljöbalken (1998:808), Kapitel 10; if no responsible operator can be found, the purchaser who acquired the property after 1999 and knew or should have known of the contamination is liable.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Serbia
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) records degraded and contaminated sites.
Who is liable
The polluter-pays principle (zagađivač plaća) applies: the polluter or its legal successor must eliminate the cause and the consequences and bears the costs. Important for the buyer: on a change of ownership of a company, an environmental site assessment, determination of liability, and settlement of the former owner's historical contamination liabilities are mandatory.
Basis: Zakon o zaštiti životne sredine; the polluter (zagađivač) or its legal successor is liable, and a change of ownership requires an assessment and settlement of historical contamination.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Slovakia
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The Ministry of the Environment maintains the informačný systém environmentálnych záťaží, the register of environmental burdens.
Who is liable
The polluter (pôvodca) must prepare the remediation plan and bear all costs. If the polluter is unknown or no responsible person can be identified, the district authority designates the owner of the property as the responsible person. The buyer is only released from this if funds for improving the environmental condition were agreed in the purchase contract.
Basis: Zákon 409/2011 Z.z. o niektorých opatreniach na úseku environmentálnej záťaže. If the polluter is unknown, the authority designates the owner as the responsible person.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Slovenia
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The authorities record the soil condition; the Environment Agency (ARSO) provides information.
Who is liable
The povzročitelj (the party that caused the damage) is strictly liable for the prevention and remediation of environmental damage, in particular at the end of a facility's operation. No general remediation liability for the mere owner or purchaser is documented, but he is a party to the proceedings if remediation concerns his property.
Basis: Zakon o varstvu okolja (ZVO); the povzročitelj (the party that caused the damage) is strictly liable for remediation.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Spain
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The autonomous communities (Comunidades Autónomas) keep an inventory of contaminated sites (inventario de suelos contaminados); a declaration of contaminated land (declaración de suelo contaminado) is noted in the Land Registry (Registro de la Propiedad).
Who is liable
Whoever caused the contamination is primarily liable, and polluters are jointly liable among themselves. Only once they cannot be made to pay does subsidiary liability fall, in this order, first on the owners and then on the possessors of the contaminated land. A declaration of contaminated land under article 99 obliges whoever is liable at the time to carry out the cleanup and is recorded in the Land Registry, so it reaches the buyer.
Basis: Law 7/2022 on waste and contaminated soil (Ley 7/2022 de residuos y suelos contaminados); the declaration of contaminated land under article 99, with owners liable ahead of possessors in the subsidiary order, recorded in the Land Registry.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Czechia
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The Ministry of the Environment and the Environmental Inspection (ČIŽP) maintain registers of kontaminovaná místa (contaminated sites).
Who is liable
The operator of a risky activity is objectively liable for new damage. Old ecological burdens (stará ekologická zátěž) arising before 2008 do not fall under this Act and are not uniformly regulated; in practice they are often borne by the current owner, who received no compensation on purchase. The buyer should specifically investigate old burdens.
Basis: Zákon č. 167/2008 Sb. o předcházení ekologické újmě; objective liability of the operator of a risky activity. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Hungary
Where contaminated sites are recorded
Registers and authority databases record contaminated sites. The 219/2004 Korm. rendelet governs groundwater and soil protection.
Who is liable
The szennyező fizet (polluter-pays principle) applies. Whoever degrades environmental quality is liable and must bear the cost of kármentesítés (remediation). Extensive liability of a mere owner or purchaser is not documented. The purchaser should verify prior uses.
Basis: 1995. évi LIII. törvény on environmental protection (Kvt) and the 219/2004 Korm. rendelet on groundwater protection, together with the szennyező fizet (polluter-pays principle).. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
United Kingdom
Where contaminated sites are recorded
The local authority identifies contaminated land and maintains a contaminated land register for this purpose.
Who is liable
The appropriate person is liable first: the polluter, or the person who knowingly permitted the contamination (Class A). If no such person can be found, liability for remediation passes to the current owner or occupier (Class B). The buyer may therefore become liable for the costs.
Basis: Environmental Protection Act 1990, Part IIA. If no polluter can be found, the current owner or occupier is liable as the appropriate person.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Cyprus
Where contaminated sites are recorded
There is no specific contaminated land register; soil contamination is also covered by the Water Pollution Control Law.
Who is liable
The polluter-pays principle applies; the operator is liable for remediation. In a sale, liability remains with the seller, not the buyer. Indemnity clauses protecting the buyer are common, particularly where contamination is difficult to ascertain.
Basis: The περί Περιβαλλοντικής Ευθύνης Νόμος (Environmental Liability Law, transposition of the EU Directive) and Law 106/2002 on water pollution control; the polluter-pays principle applies, and liability remains with the seller.. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the seller have to mention a suspicion?
Yes, if they know about it. A known suspicion of contamination is something that must be disclosed, and staying quiet about it does not create any exemption from liability.
Is checking the register enough?
As a first step, yes. But an empty register only means nothing is known, not that nothing is there. Where the previous use looks suspicious, it is no substitute for an actual soil survey.
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