You cannot go inside: occupants and real condition

This is the biggest difference between buying a house normally and buying at auction: there is no viewing. You cannot knock on the door and ask to be shown around, there is no prior inspection, and nobody certifies that the roof is sound.

Whoever acquires assets at auction does so at their own risk as to location, condition or factual circumstances, whether or not these appear in the case file.

The one door the law opens

There is a possibility, but it belongs to the court, not to you:

For auction purposes, the court may order whoever holds the assets to present them, so they can be inspected or seen by bidders. Where their nature prevents them from being moved, inspection may be arranged at the place where they are located.

In practice this is used mostly for movable property (vehicles, machinery) and it depends on the court ordering it and on the holder cooperating. For an occupied house, do not count on it.

What you can do

• Go and look from outside. Roof, walls, windows, garden, parked cars, laundry hanging out. You learn a lot from the sidewalk.
• Visit the neighbourhood at different hours. Access, public road, flood risk, noise, safety.
• Check maps and satellite imagery. Compare them with the cadastral survey: that is where you spot unregistered extensions, buildings over easements or lots without access.
• Talk to neighbours. It is the most honest source you will get about who lives there and since when.
• Consult the case file. With the number from the notice you can ask at the court office; sometimes the appraisal describes the interior.

The occupancy question

This is the risk most people underestimate. The property may be occupied by the debtor, their family, tenants with a contract, or third parties. Winning the auction does not empty the house.

When approving the auction the court orders delivery of the asset. If it is not handed over willingly, there is a route to force it:

Where movable or immovable property must be handed over and the obligated party does not do so voluntarily, delivery or placement in possession shall proceed. Movables not to be delivered with the property shall be placed in deposit if their owner will not or cannot remove them at the time of eviction.

So the mechanism exists and it works. But it is an extra proceeding, on court timescales, and meanwhile you have already paid. Budget months, not days, plus legal fees.

For vehicles

Same principle, different surprises: the car may have sat for years, with no battery, accumulated fines or missing parts. Check the Registry's movable property lookup and the record of traffic fines and circulation permit before bidding, and budget for a full overhaul.