Individuals and families

Land, housing and inheritance

NLP Law Firm, based in Hà Nội, advises and represents individuals, families and businesses on land, housing and inheritance: legal checks before a deposit, drafting and reviewing contracts, applications for Certificates of Land Use Rights, land disputes, compensation when land is recovered by the State, wills and division of estates. The scope of work is agreed in writing.

NLP Law advises and represents individuals, families and businesses in transactions, procedures and disputes concerning land, housing and inheritance: legal checks before deposits and purchases; drafting and reviewing contracts and attending notarisation with you; preparing and submitting, under your authorisation, applications for the issuance of Certificates of Land Use Rights and Ownership of Land-Attached Assets (Certificates) and for registration of changes; and representing you and protecting your interests in land disputes.

When the State recovers land, we review the compensation, support and resettlement plan and assist you with complaints and lawsuits against administrative decisions on land. On inheritance, we advise on and draft wills; advise on the procedures for inheritance declarations and the division of estates, and draft estate division agreements; and represent you and protect your interests in inheritance disputes.

The scope of work for each stage is agreed in writing in the legal services contract.

Reviewing lawyer: Nguyễn Duy Linh, Hanoi Bar AssociationUpdated: 13/11/2026

Who is this service for?

This service is for individuals, families and businesses with transactions, procedures or disputes concerning land, housing or inherited estates.

People about to pay a deposit on or buy a house or land who need to know whether the seller has the right to sell and whether the property is mortgaged, attached or in dispute.
Depositors or deposit recipients whose counterparty does not enter into or perform the contract as agreed.
Long-term land users who do not yet have a Certificate, or who have received land by transfer, gift or inheritance but have not yet had the title transferred.
Households and individuals in dispute with adjoining land users over boundaries, boundary markers or rights of way.
People whose land has been recovered by the State and who do not agree with the land price, the area compensated or the resettlement plan.
People who wish to make a will to set out how their property is to be divided; co-heirs who need to declare and divide an estate or have not yet agreed on how to divide it.
Businesses paying deposits on, taking transfers of, or leasing houses or land.

What types of matters do we handle?

We work with you from before a deposit is paid or a contract is signed through to dispute resolution and judgment enforcement. Common types of matters on which we provide advice and representation:

Legal checks on houses and land before a deposit is paid; drafting and reviewing deposit, transfer and gift contracts, and attending the signing with you at a notarial practice organisation.
Disputes over deposit, transfer, house lease and land lease contracts where the deposit recipient refuses to sell, the buyer fails to pay on time or the contract is at risk of being declared void.
Disputes over land use rights, boundaries, boundary markers and shared rights of way between adjoining households, from mediation at the commune-level People’s Committee to a lawsuit at the Regional People’s Court where the land is located if mediation fails.
First-time issuance of Certificates; registration of changes and title transfers after receiving land use rights by transfer, gift or inheritance.
Compensation, support and resettlement when the State recovers land; complaints and lawsuits against land recovery decisions, decisions to issue or revoke Certificates and other administrative decisions on land.
Declaration and agreed division of estates consisting of houses and land, and renunciation of inheritance; identifying the heirs, the estate and the property obligations left by the deceased.
Inheritance disputes between co-heirs, resolved through negotiation, mediation or a lawsuit in court for the division of the estate.

The descriptions above are general types of matters intended to give you a sense of the scope of our support; they are not specific matters we have handled.

What stages does our work follow?

The work is divided into five stages; you can start with us at any stage, even after paying a deposit, receiving a land recovery notice or receiving a first-instance judgment.

Intake and assessmentChecking for conflicts of interest; hearing your account and reviewing copies of documents; identifying the type of matter and the competent agency or court; assessing limitation periods and time limits from the outset; giving an initial opinion on options and risks and sending a written quotation.
Checking documents and propertyChecking the original Certificate; verifying who has the right of disposal, whether the property is mortgaged, attached, subject to blocking measures or in dispute, and the land use term; reviewing planning information published or provided by the competent state agencies; inspecting the current state of the property where needed; for inheritance matters, preparing a chart of heirs and a list of estate assets; reporting on points that are clear, points that need clarification and our recommendations.
Drafting and negotiationDrafting and reviewing deposit, transfer and gift contracts, estate division agreements and wills; proposing payment terms and the timing for handing over money and documents; negotiating with the other party within the scope of your authorisation; attending the signing with you at a notarial practice organisation.
Procedures before state agencies and courtsPreparing and submitting, under your authorisation, applications for Certificates and for registration of changes, and giving legal advice on the taxes and fees involved; taking part in land dispute mediation at the commune-level People’s Committee; drafting comments on the compensation, support and resettlement plan and attending dialogue sessions with you; drafting complaints and statements of claim; representing you and protecting your interests in court.
Completion and handoverCollecting and handing over the Certificate under your authorisation; analysing judgments and decisions, advising on appeals and judgment enforcement; reporting the outcome and returning original documents.

Our principles in advising and representing clients on land, housing and inheritance

The findings of a legal check are an opinion based on the documents and information available at the time of the check; they are not a guarantee concerning the transaction or the property.
Planning information and registration information for a land plot are managed and provided by the competent state agencies; our opinion does not replace documents issued by state agencies.
You decide whether to pay a deposit, sign a contract, bring a claim, mediate or withdraw a claim; we reach agreement with the other party only within the scope of your authorisation.
The Firm does not represent parties with opposing interests in the same matter, including co-heirs who are in dispute with one another.
The contents of your will and information about your property and family relationships are kept confidential under the Law on Lawyers, even after the contract ends.
We assess the strengths and weaknesses of each matter candidly and do not promise results in advance; we make no commitment as to how long state agencies or courts will take to deal with a matter.
Important documents are approved by a lawyer before they are issued.

What documents should you prepare?

When you first contact us, a brief summary of your request is all we need. After checking for conflicts of interest, the Firm will let you know which documents to provide; copies are sufficient for the initial assessment, and the original Certificate is checked during the legal check. Documents commonly used to assess a matter include:

Copies of all pages of the Certificate, including any supplementary pages.
Identity cards of the parties; documents on the marital status of the transferor or donor; documents on the origin of the property.
Signed deposit contracts, transfer contracts and receipts for money paid; information on the price, the payment schedule and any mortgage with a bank.
For inheritance matters: the death certificate, the will (if any) and documents proving each heir’s relationship with the deceased.
If you are making a will: documents on your property, documents on your marriage and your children’s birth certificates.
For disputes: documents on the origin and history of the land use, such as old sale and purchase papers, tax receipts and photographs of the current state of the property; the record of mediation at the commune-level People’s Committee; procedural documents already received.
Where the State recovers land: the land recovery notice, the compensation, support and resettlement plan, the land recovery decision and other documents received from state agencies.
For businesses: the Enterprise Registration Certificate and the letter of authorisation, where needed.

Who does the work?

Lawyer in charge of this service group: Lawyer Nguyễn Duy Linh, Director. Criminal, civil and commercial litigation; debt recovery. Sets the strategic direction and approves important documents before they are issued.
Also involved: Đinh Thị Phượng, Lawyer; Nguyễn Đức Kiên, Deputy Director; Đàm Thị Thu Hoài, Litigation Specialist.

Frequently asked questions

The seller has sent me a copy of the Certificate. Should I pay the deposit straight away?

You should check the legal position before handing over any money: from 01/01/2026, under Resolution No. 254/2025/QH15 of the National Assembly, the registration of a mortgage of land use rights is updated in the land database without being certified on the Certificate already issued, so a copy of the Certificate does not show whether the property is mortgaged. Under the Land Law 2024, the general conditions for transferring land use rights are a Certificate (except in cases provided by law), no dispute or a dispute already resolved, no attachment or other measure to secure judgment enforcement and no interim measure, and an unexpired land use term; some cases have further conditions. It is also necessary to establish who has the right of disposal, for example where the house and land are the joint property of a married couple or were granted to a household.

Does a deposit contract for buying a house or land have to be notarised? What if the deposit recipient refuses to sell?

The Civil Code 2015 does not require a deposit contract to be notarised; the notarisation or certification requirement in the Land Law 2024 applies to contracts for the transfer, gift or mortgage of land use rights or their contribution as capital (in some cases at the parties’ request). If the deposit recipient refuses to enter into or perform the contract, it must return the deposit together with an amount equal to its value; if the depositor refuses, the deposit belongs to the recipient, unless otherwise agreed. The terms of the agreement and the evidence of each party’s fault should therefore be reviewed before you claim or accept a deposit penalty.

Does a land dispute with an adjoining household have to go through mediation at the commune-level People’s Committee before a lawsuit is brought?

Yes. Under the Land Law 2024, before a competent state agency resolves a land dispute, the parties must go through mediation at the commune-level People’s Committee where the land is located; if mediation fails, the court resolves the dispute where a party has a Certificate or land use documents as provided by law, and otherwise the parties may choose to ask the People’s Committee at the competent level to resolve it or to bring a lawsuit in court. For disputes over transactions in or the inheritance of land use rights, practice differs on whether commune-level mediation is a precondition for a lawsuit, so we consider each case individually.

What can I do if I disagree with the compensation plan when the State recovers my land?

You should submit written comments while the compensation, support and resettlement plan is publicly posted, and take part in the dialogue if you still disagree; under Resolution No. 254/2025/QH15, the period for publicly posting the plan at the head office of the commune-level People’s Committee is 10 days. Once an administrative decision on land recovery or compensation has been issued, you have the right to make a complaint or bring an administrative lawsuit within the statutory limitation period. We review the legal basis, the land price, the area and the origin of the land before you choose a course of action.

Is a handwritten will valid? Does it need to be notarised?

Under the Civil Code 2015, a written will may be made with or without witnesses, notarisation or certification; a will without witnesses must be handwritten and signed by the testator. A will without notarisation or certification is lawful only if the testator was lucid and of sound mind and not deceived, threatened or coerced, its content does not violate prohibitions of law or contravene social ethics, and its form does not contravene the law. Minor children, the father, the mother, the spouse and adult children who are incapable of working are still entitled to two thirds of the share of one heir at law where the will gives them nothing or less than that, unless they renounce the inheritance or are not entitled to inherit.

How are fees determined?

Fees are agreed for each matter and clearly set out in the legal services contract, using a fee calculation method permitted under the Law on Lawyers. Court fees and charges, arbitration costs, enforcement fees and amounts payable to state agencies are not lawyers’ fees; estimated amounts are stated in the quotation. An agreement on fees is not a commitment or guarantee of any particular outcome.

General information only; not a substitute for advice on a specific matter.

NLP Law

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Call our hotline or email us to book a consultation. Detailed capability statements for each service group are available on request.

Head office: Ground Floor, No. 10 Cầu Đất Street, Hồng Hà Ward, Hà Nội · Hotline: 0825 108 668 · Email: nlplawfirm.hn@gmail.com

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Matter and client information is kept confidential under the Law on Lawyers, even after the contract ends.

Please do not send details of your matter, documents or sensitive information by email or through the form at this stage. After checking for conflicts of interest, the Firm will let you know which documents to send. View the Personal Data Protection Policy.