--- title: "You've Accepted an Offer on Your Algarve Home: The CPCV, the Deposit, the Escritura and When the Money Arrives" slug: after-accepting-offer-algarve-cpcv-deposit-escritura pillar: selling author: "Homiberia Content Team" date_published: 2026-10-26 date_modified: 2026-10-26 reading_time: 5 locale: en canonical: https://www.homiberia.com/en/blog/after-accepting-offer-algarve-cpcv-deposit-escritura --- # You've Accepted an Offer on Your Algarve Home: The CPCV, the Deposit, the Escritura and When the Money Arrives > After you accept an offer, the sale moves through a promissory contract (CPCV) with a deposit, a document check, the buyer's transfer taxes and the deed (escritura). The date the deal completes, or the date the buyer takes possession, decides which tax year your capital gain falls in. ## The short answer Once you accept an offer, you and the buyer usually sign a promissory contract of purchase and sale (contrato-promessa de compra e venda, or CPCV), the buyer pays a deposit, and both sides work towards the deed. Portuguese tax law treats your profit as a capital gain (mais-valia) from selling rights over real estate. It counts that gain at the moment of the sale, or earlier if the buyer is given possession under the promissory contract. The dates you agree in the CPCV therefore matter for your tax as well as your diary. ## Step 1: sign the CPCV The CPCV is the promise to buy and sell. Portuguese tax law recognises it as a distinct stage of a property sale. Selling your position under a contract relating to real estate is itself a taxable capital gain. Treat the CPCV as the document that fixes the deal, not as a formality. - The price and the deposit amount, and how and when each part is paid. - The latest date for the deed, and what happens if it slips. - Whether, and when, the buyer gets keys or possession before the deed. - What happens to the deposit if either side fails to complete. - Which documents you, as seller, must provide and by when. ### The deposit (sinal) The deposit size and the consequences of default are negotiated in the CPCV. The official sources we rely on for this guide do not set a standard percentage or the default rules, so we do not quote them here. Before signing, ask your lawyer to explain in writing what you keep if the buyer walks away, and what you would owe if you are the one who cannot complete. Make sure the CPCV wording matches that explanation. ## Step 2: think twice before handing over keys early ![House keys being handed from one person to another](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1560518883-ce09059eeffa?ixid=M3w5ODQ4OTl8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxfHxob3VzZSUyMGtleXMlMjBoYW5kb3ZlcnxlbnwxfDB8fHwxNzkyOTk4MzEzfDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&fm=jpg&fit=crop&w=1200) Some buyers ask to move in or start works before the deed. Under article 10 of the IRS Code, where there is a promissory contract, the gain is presumed to be obtained as soon as the property is handed over or the buyer takes possession. Early handover can move your taxable gain to an earlier date than the deed, and possibly into an earlier tax year. > **Warning:** If the CPCV gives the buyer possession in December but the deed is signed in January, the tax rule on promissory contracts points to December. Agree any early handover with your lawyer and accountant first. ## Step 3: get your documents ready before the escritura Paperwork delays are a common reason a deed date slips. Start gathering documents the day the CPCV is signed. The official sources used for this guide do not list the documents required, so ask your lawyer for the definitive list for your property. Use the questions below as a starting point. - Is my tax registration record (caderneta predial) current, and does it describe the property as it is today? - Is my [land](https://www.homiberia.com/en/buy/land) registry certificate (certidão permanente) valid on the deed date, and are any mortgages or charges shown that must be cleared? - Do I hold the licence of use (licença de utilização), and does it cover any extensions or changes? - Do I have a valid energy certificate? - If there is a mortgage, has my bank confirmed the redemption figure and attendance at the deed? ## Step 4: the buyer's IMT and stamp duty IMT is the municipal tax on paid transfers of real estate. The IMT Code also covers transfers subject to both IMT and stamp duty. It has separate articles on when the tax obligation arises (article 5), when the tax is assessed (article 22) and payment deadlines (article 36). It also places duties on notaries and others involved in the deed (article 49) and covers documents relating to transfers that will not be accepted (article 52). For you as seller, the practical point is simple. Before the deed, ask the buyer's lawyer to confirm the transfer taxes have been dealt with, so the signing is not held up. ## Step 5: when the money arrives, and which tax year it falls in Set out in the CPCV exactly how and when the balance is paid, and confirm the funds are cleared before you sign. For tax, the IRS Code treats gains as obtained when the sale takes place. With a promissory contract, it presumes the gain is obtained earlier if the buyer is given possession first. ### Completing in December 2026 or January 2027 ![Calendar pages showing the turn from December to January](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1506784983877-45594efa4cbe?ixid=M3w5ODQ4OTl8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxfHxjYWxlbmRhciUyMGRlY2VtYmVyJTIwamFudWFyeSUyMHBsYW5uaW5nfGVufDF8MHx8fDE3OTI5OTgzMTR8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&fm=jpg&fit=crop&w=1200) A deed signed on 31 December 2026 and one signed on 2 January 2027 can place the same gain in different tax years. That changes which annual return it belongs to and when any tax falls due. If you have other income or gains in one of those years, discuss the timing with your accountant before you fix the deed date in the CPCV. Make sure no early handover pulls the gain back into the earlier year. ## Market context while you wait Recorded sales show where prices stand. INE puts the median price that Algarve dwellings actually sold for at €3,338 per m² in the 12 months to Q2 2026. That compares with €2,922 a year earlier, a 14.2% rise. Asking prices are a different measure. Idealista's index put the Algarve asking price at €4,216 per m² in September 2026, up 7.8% year on year. These figures show the wider market. They do not value your home. ## About Homiberia Homiberia is a family-run Algarve agency, licensed under AMI 11961 and a member of ASMIP (nº 1637). We hold a 4.8-star Google rating from 47 reviews. We can coordinate the CPCV, the document check and the deed date with your lawyer. ### Is my profit taxed when I sign the CPCV or at the deed? The IRS Code treats the gain as obtained when the sale takes place. Where there is a promissory contract, it presumes the gain is obtained as soon as the buyer is handed the property or takes possession. Signing the CPCV alone does not trigger it, but an early handover can. ### Does completing in December or January change my tax? It can change which tax year the gain belongs to, because the gain is attributed to the moment of the sale or of an earlier handover. Agree the deed and possession dates with your accountant before fixing them in the CPCV. ### Who deals with IMT and stamp duty? These are transfer taxes governed by the IMT Code, which sets rules on when the obligation arises, assessment and payment deadlines, and duties for notaries. As seller, ask the buyer's lawyer to confirm they are settled before the deed. ### Can I sell my position in a CPCV instead of completing? Selling contractual positions or other rights under contracts relating to real estate is treated as a capital gain under article 10 of the IRS Code. Take tax advice before agreeing to it. ## Sources - [Portal das Finanças: Código do IRS, artigo 10.º (mais-valias, timing of gains)](https://info.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt/pt/informacao_fiscal/codigos_tributarios/cirs_rep/Pages/irs10.aspx) - [Portal das Finanças: Código do IMT (when transfer tax is due relative to the deed)](https://info.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt/pt/informacao_fiscal/codigos_tributarios/cimt/Pages/codigo-do-imt-indice.aspx) - [INE: median sale price per m², Algarve (12 months to Q2 2026)](https://www.ine.pt/bddXplorer/htdocs/minfo.jsp?var_cd=0012234&lingua=PT) - [Idealista press releases (Cision): Algarve September 2026 market context](https://news.cision.com/pt/idealista/Index/,e88620) --- Canonical: https://www.homiberia.com/en/blog/after-accepting-offer-algarve-cpcv-deposit-escritura