The "Nordis" bill, amended by members of the Legal Committee of the Chamber of Deputies

The members of the Legal Committee of the Chamber of Deputies approved, yesterday, the reduction of the advance required when signing the sale-purchase promise for a property, from 15% to 5%, in an effort to better protect consumers. The decision comes in the context of the debates on the "Nordis" bill, initiated in response to the major scandal that rocked the Romanian real estate market.

The new form of the legislative initiative stipulates that, in addition to the 5% advance paid for the reservation, buyers will pay 25% in the structure/construction phase and another 20% in the installation phase, the total advance limit being capped at 50%. This new advance comes in contrast to the form previously adopted by the Senate, which stipulated installments of 15% upon reservation, 25% upon structure and 25% upon installations, i.e. 65% in three stages.

The bill, drafted after the Nordis scandal broke, would oblige real estate developers to register their promises of sale and purchase in the Land Registry, thus preventing situations in which the same apartment is promised to several people. The bill was adopted by the Senate on April 14, 2025 and, after the amendments made yesterday by the Legal Committee, is set to reach the Administration Committee, and then the plenary of the Chamber of Deputies, which has a decision-making role.

According to the provisions adopted by the Senate, the amounts paid as an advance will be deposited in a special account designated exclusively for the development of the project. Any use of these funds for other purposes will attract a fine of 1% of the developer's turnover. At the same time, the law introduces facilities for buyers: if they show up to sign the contract accompanied by a lawyer, they will benefit from a 25% discount on the notary's fee.

Another important element of the bill is that, in the event of the developer's bankruptcy, buyers will have the status of "privileged creditors", which means that they will be among the first to recover their money, immediately after the Romanian state. This regulation comes as a direct result of the Nordis case, exposed last fall in a Recorder investigation. The investigation revealed that the company controlled by Vladimir Ciorbă - the husband of former PSD deputy Laura Vicol-Ciorbă - had collected millions of euros without delivering the promised investments. Worse, in the only completed building, a hotel in Mamaia, there were indications that the apartments had been sold several times, to different people.

After the scandal broke out, Laura Vicol resigned, first from the position of president of the Legal Commission, then from PSD. In parallel, revelations appeared in the media regarding links between the Nordis group and PSD leaders, including former Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who allegedly flew on a private plane rented from the same company.